According to EEDA, more businesses and individuals applied to register patents in Cambridgeshire than in any other county.

However, the survey also showed that most applications - 92% - were made by men in the county, with just 8% of applications coming from women.

EEDA spokesman Richard Ellis said:

"If a business is to stay at the top of its game it must continually innovate and patenting an idea is the best way to protect it ...

"However, to compete on a global stage it is imperative that they receive help to develop even more ideas and innovations. There is no reason why any business man or woman cannot be innovative and there is a huge amount of support and advice available to help them."