The University of California was awarded the most U.S. patents
of any university last year, according to an annual report by the
Intellectual Property Owners Association.
In 2009, the 10-campus UC system received 251 patents for
discoveries made by its researchers. The patents stem from UC ideas
and inventions for products ranging from health care to clean
energy. UC now holds 3,617 active U.S. patents.
This was the 17th consecutive year that UC topped all U.S.
universities in the IPO’s annual report, which is based on data
from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“UC’s high number of patents is another measure of UC’s research
impact,” said Steven Beckwith, UC vice president for research and
graduate studies. “Winning patents is not our primary goal, and we
don’t receive a whole lot of income from them. But they are one way
to transfer our discoveries into products or services that benefit society.”
In the 2009 fiscal year alone, UC research also produced 1,482
new inventions and spawned 47 startup companies. UC inventions have
led to the formation of 461 startup companies since 1976, and these
companies serve as an important engine for economic growth in California.
In IPO’s 2009 report of patents granted, UC ranked 83rd overall,
behind only the top U.S. companies. IBM ranked first with 4,887
patents last year.
