A Longitudinal dataset of sector-level patent data for Europe

This paper presents a comprehensive dataset of patent applications and grants at the 2-digit ISIC Rev.4/NACE Rev.2 sector level for a set of 24 European countries from 1985 to 2020. The data are assigned to sectors by applying weights of sector-technology field correspondence to European Patent Office (EPO) patent data retrieved from OECD. The dataset provides patent data based on the applicant's and inventor's country of residence, on an annual basis, in two formats: i) patent applications and grants at priority dates (flows), and ii) patent applications and grants stocks, estimated through the perpetual inventory method (PIM) using a 15 % deprecation rate. This unique dataset is suitable for sector/industry-level empirical research in the economic analysis of technology and R&D, indicatively in the fields of economics of innovation, international economics and industrial organization. Furthermore, it serves as a valuable resource for economic policy studies, especially in areas related to industry and science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy research.