The National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association released a report last week on the top 100 universities worldwide granted patents in 2016. Overall, universities were granted 6,768 patents; the Top 10 (9 in the U.S. and one from China) accounted for about one-third of these patents and were granted to these universities:
In the U.S., 39 public universities were granted 2,794 patents (an average of ~72/university), while 30 private universities garnered 2,339 patents (78/university). Thirty-two ex-U.S. universities were awarded 1,635 patents, with Korean universities having the most (403), followed by China (370), Japan (230), Taiwan (179), Saudi Arabia (173), and Israel (127).
According to the Report, the National Academy of Inventors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. More information can be found on the organization's website. The report further states that the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), established in 1972, is a trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. IPO is the only association in the U.S. that serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all fields of technology. IPO advocates for effective and affordable IP ownership rights and provides a wide array of services to members, including: supporting member interests relating to legislative and international issues; analyzing current IP issues; information and educational services; and disseminating information to the general public on the importance of intellectual property rights. More information can be found on the organization's website.
