USC and the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes, with more than 4,600 individual inventor members and fellows spanning more than 260 institutions worldwide. The NAI was founded to recognize and encourage inventors with U.S. patents, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and create wider public understanding of how its members’ inventions benefit society.
“Remarkable innovation occurs every day at USC. Our institution’s NAI Fellows include experts who produce a diverse array of world-changing inventions. They are creators, engineers, scientists, and clinicians, whose innovations produce solutions required to improve the human condition and ensure our prosperity.”
Dr. Ishwar K. Puri
Senior Vice President, Research and Innovation
By The Numbers
#50
NAI U.S. Ranking (2024)
#59
NAI Worldwide Ranking (2025)
800+
Issued Active U.S. Patents
USC to host the 2026 National Academy of Inventors Annual Conference
USC is thrilled and honored to be the host university for the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Annual Conference in 2026! Inventors are bright stars and have illuminated the world with their groundbreaking innovations. We will roll out the red carpet and give them the star treatment. The theme for the NAI’s 15th Annual Conference is “Spotlight on Our Stars,” which will highlight inventors’ star power in society.
About NAI Fellows
The NAI Fellows program was established to highlight academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and the welfare of society. Election to NAI fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.
The NAI Fellow program has 2,253 Fellows worldwide representing more than 300 prestigious universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. Collectively, the Fellows hold more than 86,000 issued U.S. patents, which have generated over 20,000 licensed technologies, 4,000 companies, and an estimated 1.4 million jobs. In addition, over an estimated $3.8 trillion in revenue has been generated based on NAI Fellow discoveries.
Among all NAI Fellows, there are more than 170 presidents and senior leaders of research universities, governmental and non-profit research institutes; about 796 members of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; about 60 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame; 76 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science; and 59 Nobel Laureates, among other awards and distinctions.
“USC is honored to host NAI 2026 and give inventors the Hollywood treatment they deserve. It’s our way of recognizing researchers whose ideas have moved beyond the lab to shape lives, industries, and the world around us.”
Tran Courtney
Associate Director of Marketing and Communications
Our NAI Fellows and Senior Members
USC is represented by 71 of the more than 2,450 NAI Fellows and Senior Members across the country. With more than 250 members, the USC chapter is one of the oldest and largest in the country.