Endress+Hauser celebrated another year of technological innovation at its 2026 Innovators’ Meeting in Basel, highlighting a strong pipeline of inventions, nearly 300 patent applications and continued investment in research and development.

 

The company filed 294 initial patent applications worldwide in 2025, launched 41 new products, and invested €281.4 million in research and development, reinforcing its position as a leading innovator in industrial measurement and automation technologies. 

 

Endress+Hauser now holds a portfolio of more than 9,400 active patents and patent applications protecting its intellectual property globally.

 

The annual Innovators’ Meeting brings together employees whose work has contributed to patent applications, providing a platform to showcase inventions, exchange ideas and recognize innovation across the Group.

 

“The Innovators’ Meeting highlights just how much expertise, creativity, teamwork and perseverance go into our products,” says Mirko Lehmann, Chief Technology Officer of the Endress+Hauser Group.

 

 

The 2026 event marked a significant milestone: the 25th Innovators’ Meeting since the initiative was launched in July 2001. After a pandemic-related pause in 2020, the gathering returned to celebrate a quarter-century of innovation.

 

Of the 101 innovators who attended the first meeting, 35 remain with the company today, and 15 of them filed patents again in 2025. At the same time, a new generation of innovators is emerging, with 89 Endress+Hauser employees participating in a patent application for the first time last year.

 

“Our innovative strength thrives on the collaboration between experienced and new inventors. Endress+Hauser’s long-term focus and values-based culture create an environment where experience is passed on and new ideas can flourish,” says Christine Koslowski, Director of Intellectual Property Rights at Endress+Hauser.

 

 

Endress+Hauser increased its investment in research and development to €281.4 million in 2025, up 2.1% from the previous year. R&D spending accounted for 7.0% of annual sales.

 

The company noted that the slight decline in the R&D-to-sales ratio compared with the previous year was primarily due to accounting effects linked to the acquisition of the gas instrumentation business from Endress+Hauser SICK.

 

More than 1,300 employees now work exclusively in research and development, driving the creation of new technologies and solutions for customers across a wide range of industries.

 

 

Sustainability remains a central focus of Endress+Hauser’s innovation strategy. Beyond developing new products, the company is pursuing improvements in production, logistics, IT and administrative processes to increase efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

 

To further encourage sustainable innovation, Endress+Hauser introduced its Ecodesign & Circularity Award in 2025, recognizing solutions that combine environmental responsibility, resource efficiency and technical performance.

 

As industrial measurement technology becomes increasingly digital, the company is expanding its focus on firmware, connectivity and seamless integration capabilities. 

 

Endress+Hauser is also advancing software-based solutions and services, including cloud applications and artificial intelligence-driven technologies. The analysis and measurement of material properties remains another strategic area of innovation.

 

The achievements showcased in Basel underscore Endress+Hauser’s continued commitment to transforming industrial processes through technology, while fostering a culture where both experienced inventors and first-time innovators can contribute to the next generation of breakthroughs.