Image shows an architectural rendering of the permanent venue for the Greater Bay Area Science Forum in Nansha district of Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

GUANGZHOU - The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has seen a surge in patent applications, dominating in overseas invention patents licensed nationwide, according to a report released at a forum on Saturday in South China's Guangdong province.

Between 2017 and 2022, overseas invention patents in Greater Bay Area accounted for more than a quarter of the country's total overseas invention patents licensed, the report on the patent index released by the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed.

The report, released at a session of the Greater Bay Area Science Forum, was based on the patent data gathered and revealed the characteristics and development trends of the Greater Bay Area's scientific and technological innovation.

Between 2017 and 2022, overseas invention patents in Greater Bay Area accounted for more than a quarter of China's total overseas invention patents licensed, according to the report

It added that enterprises play a pivotal role in driving technological innovation in the Greater Bay Area. From 2017 to 2022, the number of invention patent applications by enterprises in the Greater Bay Area accounted for 73.44 percent of the area's total patent applications.

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Data showed that the Greater Bay Area boasts technological advantages in industries such as next-generation information technology, new energy vehicles, and new materials.

Initiated by the Alliance of International Science Organizations and hosted by the Guangdong provincial government, the Greater Bay Area Science Forum is taking place from May 20 to 23 in Guangdong's cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan.