This paper investigates the impact of three major French policy interventions - the Loi sur l’Innovation et la Recherche (1999), the Loi de programme pour la recherche (2006) and the Loi relative aux libertés et responsabilités des universités (2007) - on the centrality of French universities in patent co-ownership networks. While previous studies examined Innovation Act (1999) for its impact on university patent ownership in France, this paper extends the analysis by using EPO PATSTAT data (1978–2018) and network analysis to explore the structural evolution of patent co-ownership networks and French universities' centrality as a proxy for innovation performance and knowledge diffusion. A Difference-in-Differences (DiD) with Propensity Score Matching (PSM) is implemented to assess the causal impact of these policies. Results indicate a significant increase in universities’ centrality in patent co-ownership, attributed to proactive university patenting ownership and greater university autonomy.