• 3.6 billion euros invested in research and development in 2007
• On average 14 registrations filed every working day
• Impressive evidence of innovative strength

In 2007, Bosch researchers and developers registered more patents than ever before. The number of first-filed patents rose by seven percent to a total of 3,281. This adds up to an average of 14 developments submitted to the patent offices for first filing every working day. However, as not every innovation is automatically registered as a patent at Bosch, the number of inventions registered within the company in 2007 actually rose by eight percent, to 6,560. The only Bosch developments that are filed are those that the company feels are sufficiently significant.

In total, the number of patents, patent registrations, and utility models held by the Bosch Group amounts to around 77,000. "These figures are impressive evidence of the innovative strength of the Bosch Group", said Dr. Siegfried Dais, whose responsibilities as deputy chairman of the board of management include research and development.

In the past year, Bosch increased its expenditure on research and development by nine percent to 3.6 billion euros. In other words, investment in this field accounted for just under eight percent of the company's sales of roughly 46 billion euros. A total of approximately 30,000 employees work in research and development worldwide, with most of them being employed in Germany.

Bosch media enquiries:
Chris Wakley / Marco Ferrari
Automotive PR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7494 8050
Email: cwakley@automotivepr.com / deden@automotivepr.com

Bosch OE enquiries:
Jo Hudson
Robert Bosch Limited
Corporate Communications
Tel: +44 (0)1895 878155
Email: jo.hudson@uk.bosch.com

About Bosch
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 260,000 associates generated sales of 43.7 billion euros in fiscal 2006. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 300 subsidiary and regional companies in more than 50 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing, and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spends more than three billion euros each year on research and development, and in 2007 applied for more than 3,000 patents worldwide. The company was established in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as the ‘Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering’.

The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-two per cent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried out by the trust. The remaining shares and voting rights are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch GmbH.

Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com and www.bosch.co.uk