To celebrate World Intellectual Property Day on April 26, 2023, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) released its annual list of the Top 100 worldwide university utility patent holders. The NAI is an organization comprising of U.S. and international universities, governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions. The organization enhances the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourages the disclosure of intellectual property, educates and mentors innovative students, and translates the inventions of its members to benefit society.
We are excited to announce that USC has significantly moved up the annual ranking of granted U.S. utility patents by NAI. In 2022, USC was ranked #42 compared to #72 in the prior year. Rankings are based on calendar year data provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the NAI has been releasing these rankings for the past decade.
“I’m thrilled to see USC in the Top 50 ranking of university patents. Under the inspired leadership of our Senior Vice President for Research, Dr. Ishwar K Puri, USC is reimagining and transforming its innovation ecosystem,” said Dr. Steve Moldin, Associate Vice President of Research Strategy and Innovation, and current Stevens Center Interim Executive Director at USC. “By changing leadership and models for supporting startups and inventions, USC is already beginning to see dividends.”
As one of the world’s leading private research universities, we are proud of USC’s rapid growth and worldwide recognition. The Stevens Center for Innovation serves as a university-wide resource that works to patent and move the discoveries of USC researchers from the lab to the marketplace. We manage a broad portfolio of university-owned intellectual property stemming from more than $955 million in annual research expenditures. As a result, USC was ranked 12th nationally amongst all private institutions in the most recent National Science Foundation survey of total R&D expenditures (2021).
These rankings and surveys validate USC’s commitment to support its entrepreneurial ecosystem and researchers who are innovating and developing products and services that improve human lives, solve problems, and fuel economic growth. To learn more about the NAI and the list of institution rankings, click here and to read the latest NSF report, click here.