LEXINGTON, Ky. (Feb. 20, 2024) — The University of Kentucky was ranked in the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2023 by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
The report uses data provided by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and highlights the vital role patents play in university research and innovation.
Published annually since 2013, the report ranks the top 100 universities holding U.S. utility patents, which protect the way an invention is used and works, in the 2023 calendar year. The full report can be found here.
A member institution of the NAI, UK ranked 99th along with three other institutions, with 33 U.S. utility patents granted in 2023. UK filed 161 patent applications and held 930 worldwide patent assets in fiscal year 2023.
“We are honored to stand among the world’s top 100 universities in utility patents,” said Taunya Phillips, director of the UK Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). “This is a testament to our dedication to foster innovations while safeguarding the groundbreaking discoveries made by our UK innovators. This recognition reaffirms our commitment to driving impactful research and collaboration that ultimately benefits our Commonwealth and country.”
To search technologies available through OTC, visit their site.
“At the Academy, it is important for us to recognize and celebrate research and commercialization happening at the university level, as well as spread awareness on how intellectual property can benefit innovators and their institutions,” said Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NAI.
About 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 over 4,600 individual inventor members and fellows spanning more than 300 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI works collaboratively with the USPTO and publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation. More on NAI can be found here: www.academyofinventors.org.
The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) mission is to advance innovation that makes a difference. OTC supports the university's strategic plan by committing to help build Kentucky's innovation ecosystem and collaborate with industry partners worldwide; work cooperatively with innovators to strategically assess, protect, and license early-stage technologies; and to cultivate entrepreneurship and co-create new technology startups.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.