Among 100 global universities and colleges, the University is 61st this year for the number of US utility patents granted to researchers in 2017. The University jumped three spots from last year’s top 100 rankings, which are annually compiled by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association, using data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. In calendar year 2017, University researchers received 42 utility patents, compared to 39 in 2016.
UR Ventures manages the commercialization of the intellectual property that arises from research at the University of Rochester. Receiving a utility patent, which restricts others from making, using, or selling a form of innovation without authorization, is among the essential first steps toward a technology or product reaching the market.
The utility patents issued to University researchers in 2017 represent discoveries from many of the institution’s core research areas, including medical and diagnostic technologies, imaging, optics, materials, and vaccines. One example is a cancer treatment developed by Minsoo Kim, professor of microbiology and immunology and a Wilmot Cancer Institute investigator, which was issued a patent for the innovative use of light and optics to steer killer immune cells toward tumors during immunotherapy .
“The rankings are one way to recognize the value of our research, especially in light of our size relative to the many larger universities on the list,” says Scott Catlin, associate vice president of technology ventures. “Each patent protects UR innovations, both during technical and business development, as well as once a product or service hits the market. They are an essential part of how the University gets a return on its research and government funding, as well as supporting our obligation to put our research to work for the wider benefit of humanity and the world.”
Ranked closely nearby Rochester in the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Patent Report are Hanyang University in South Korea with 42 U.S. patents; and Ohio State University and National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan with 41 patents each. The other New York state institutions in the top 100 are Cornell, Columbia, New York University, and the research foundations of SUNY and CUNY.
