OREGON INVENTIONINDEX | APRIL 2025

April 2025: 2.65% (A grade)

Oregon inventionINDEX April 2025: 2.65% (A grade)

The inventionINDEX measures innovation output by comparing GDP growth with patent production growth. 

Anything over C grade is positive sentiment; anything under C is negative outlook/sentiment. Using that sentiment, it is possible to observe trends over time, and also compare states/countries. In doing so, we can predict which states have the best chance to recover economically from the pandemic (or any other economic incident that may occur).

Oregon inventionINDEX 6-Month Trend Analysis

Over the past six months, Oregon’s inventionINDEX score has demonstrated a generally upward trend, peaking at 2.65% in April 2025. This marks a notable recovery from the lowest recent score of 1.03% in November 2024. The volatility across months, particularly the sharp increases in December 2024 and February 2025, indicates a dynamic innovation environment with periods of rapid development.

A higher inventionINDEX score often signals heightened research activity, patent filings, and entrepreneurial energy. In April 2025, the state reached its highest level in this 6-month span, suggesting strong momentum in technology sectors and innovation-led industries. This can lead to job creation, increased investment, and long-term economic diversification.

On the downside, the months of November 2024 (1.03%) and January 2025 (1.58%) highlight periods of relative stagnation. Such lower scores may reflect funding shortfalls, reduced R&D outputs, or systemic barriers to innovation, which could deter investor confidence or hinder the growth of early-stage ventures.

Overall, Oregon appears to be regaining strength in innovation, but the fluctuations underscore the need for sustained support in policy, education, and infrastructure to maintain a positive trajectory. Consistency in innovation metrics will be crucial to transforming short-term gains into long-term competitiveness.

Discussion:

In April, the Oregon inventionINDEX scored a positive sentiment which was higher than the previous year’s average and outperformed the downward trend for the year. This is similar to the prior 12 months, which experienced a downward trend. 

As the economy continues to stabilize in the post-pandemic era, it remains uncertain whether any backlog of applications still exists or if the department has returned to normal processing timelines. The inventionINDEX could also be affected by lingering consequences from the pandemic, such as company closures, reduced workforces, and limited R&D capabilities, which may still be impacting current operations.

Learn More:

Are you thinking of patenting any of your bright ideas? Did you know your research work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please check out our free online eligibility test.

Swanson Reed’s Oregon office provides R&D tax credit consulting and advisory services to Portland, Eugene, Salem, Gresham, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Bend, Medford, Springfield, and Corvallis.

Feel free to book a quick teleconference with one of R&D tax specialists at a time that is convenient for you, if you would like to learn more about R&D tax credit opportunities.

Who We Are:

Swanson Reed is the largest Specialist R&D tax credit advisory firm in the United States. With offices nationwide, we are one of the only firms globally to exclusively provide R&D tax credit consulting services to our clients. We have been exclusively providing R&D tax credit claim preparation and audit compliance solutions for over 30 years.

Swanson Reed hosts daily free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs.  For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/free-webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.