The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has been ranked among the top 25 universities in the world for the number of patents awarded in 2012.
The ranking, by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), is based on data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ researchers received 72 patents and were ranked 21st on the .
βThis ranking recognizes that the innovation coming out of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is impacting our local economy and raising the universityβs research profile around the world,β said MJ Soileau, vice president for research & commercialization.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ ranked above such academic powerhouses as Northwestern University, Harvard University and Duke University.
The NAI and the IPO compiled the listing to emphasize the impact university research has on worldwide economic development.
βUniversity inventors are the discoverers and creators of new solutions to existing problems, and, as such, are key contributors to the advancement of technology,β said Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NIA.Β βProtection of this intellectual property, through the patenting process, underpins the creation of new industries and employment.β
Over the years, professors at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ have earned patents on many technologies including a technique to detect Crohnβs disease, a non-toxic method of removing oil from water which doesnβt harm the environment and liquid crystal display technology, which is why we can see cell phone screens in daylight or in the dark.
With the NAI/IPO ranking ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has proven itself to be a leader not just in the numbers of patents awarded but in the quality of those patents.Β ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is ranked in the IEEEβs listing of the top 20 universities in the world in patent strength.Β And three ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ inventors will be honored in March with the designation of NAI Fellow for their innovative work (the three have a combined 104 patents) and its impact on economic development and society.