UC San Diego Received Second Highest Number of U.S. Patents Issued in UC System

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UC San Diego is second in the UC system with the highest number of U.S. patents issued. Photo by Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego Publications

The University of California is first in the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents Ranking for 2015. The report, which was released today, is published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO). The ranking utilizes data acquired from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to highlight the important role patents play in university research and innovation.

According to UC Inventions at a Glance fiscal year 2015 data, UC San Diego is second in the UC system with the highest number of U.S. patents issued. Data highlights include:

• U.S. patents issued: 520 to UC system, 97 to UC San Diego inventors
• Foreign patents issued: 795 to UC system, 192 to UC San Diego
• Total research expenditures: $6,485,431,448 for entire UC System, $1,101,466,000 for UC San Diego

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla said, “UC San Diego continues to make a societal impact through our research. Our culture of risk-taking, collaboration and innovation builds new economies and industries, making the world a better place.” 

“UC San Diego inventors are transforming today’s research into tomorrow’s breakthrough innovations,” said Sandra A. Brown, vice chancellor for Research. “Some of these inventions were top earners for the UC system, which include antibodies that treat cancer, treatment for a type of kidney disease, tests that show molecular activity, dry eye disease diagnosis and treatment to drug delivery.”

UC’s technology commercialization program takes inventions from the laboratory to the marketplace, benefiting the public by building alliances with industry to create innovative products for the world and to generate new businesses and jobs for California. Rights to patentable inventions arising from UC research are assigned to the University of California under the UC Patent Policy. Campus offices (with systemwide assistance) facilitate the commercialization of these inventions by industry partners; the activities of these offices include management of patent application filings, technology marketing, negotiation of licenses and other agreements, and support for UC ­affiliated inventors and entrepreneurs.

The NAI and IPO have published the report annually since 2013. The rankings are compiled by calculating the number of utility patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office which lists a university as the first assignee on the printed patent.

The full report of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Patents in 2015 can be found here.