ASU ranks in top 10 among universities granted patents in 2022
ASU remains in the top 10 among universities worldwide for U.S. utility patents issued in 2022, increasing its patents over the previous year.
DEEPER DIVE: ASU named No. 1 in innovation for 8th straight year
This marks the third time Arizona State University ranked in the top 10 globally and the fifth consecutive time ASU ranked in the top 10 among U.S.-based universities in the annual top 100 rankings by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.
The report uses calendar-year data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to find patents that list universities. This year’s report counts patents with universities listed as an owner regardless of the order in which owners are listed on the patent to provide a more comprehensive look at patents held by universities. Previously, the National Academy of Inventors included only the first-named owner in the count.
ASU secured 160 U.S. patents in 2022, joining other universities in the top 10, including, MIT, Stanford University, Univeristy of Texas, Purdue University, Caltech and Harvard University. The 160 U.S. patents are an increase from 153 in the prior year.
“This well-earned distinction once again speaks to the ingenuity of our faculty members and their commitment to discovery,” said Sally C. Morton, executive vice president of ASU’s Knowledge Enterprise. “There is a bounty of brilliant and novel ideas pioneered by our researchers, and an increasing number of them are making their way to market with meaningful impact for the public. It’s our responsibility to continually advance such ideas and transform them into solutions that benefit the world.”
ASU-based technologies that received patents in 2022 include foldable quadrotors, a violin shoulder rest with haptic feedback, prosthetic limbs, a power-generating brick, and recovery and recycling systems to remove platinum-group metals from wastewater.
Skysong Innovations, ASU’s exclusive technology transfer and intellectual property management organization, helps translate research into impact by protecting intellectual property developed in ASU labs and negotiating licensing deals with commercial partners who advance the patented technologies and develop solutions for society.
The organization has secured nearly 1,450 U.S. patents and closed nearly 1,400 option or license deals with commercial partners during its years of service to ASU. Skysong Innovations has facilitated more than 200 ASU startups that have collectively attracted more than $1.2 billion in external funding and generated more than $2 billion in economic impact in Arizona.
“ASU’s slate of patented technologies in 2022 spans cutting-edge fields from artificial intelligence to precision cancer therapies,” said Kyle Siegal, senior vice president and chief patent counsel of Skysong Innovations. “This variety underscores the impressive breadth with which ASU advances real-world solutions for the public good.”
UArizona ranks 29 among top 100 universities granted US utility patents in 2022
The University of Arizona is ranked No. 29 among the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2022, according to a list released Wednesday by the National Academy of Inventors. The university ranks 23rd among U.S. institutions and 13th among U.S. public universities.
The ranking is based on the number of patents issued to university inventors between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2022. Ninety-two patents were issued to UArizona inventors during that period – six more than last year. Patented innovations included a technique for imaging cancer cells, a wearable 3D augmented reality display, an antioxidant sunscreen and an automotive radar system that uses a 3D-printed spherical lens.
“The inventive work of our researchers makes significant differences in so many ways throughout the world, and this ranking is a testament to their creativity and impact,” said University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins. “The growth we have seen in patents issued to our inventors is truly exciting, and to be among the top universities recognized by the National Academy of Inventors is a great achievement.”
“Being a top university in the number of patents issued is a reflection on the important mission and success of Tech Launch Arizona,” said UArizona Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation Elizabeth “Betsy” Cantwell. “However, it is even more consequential when we think about patents in terms of advancing research from novel discoveries to meaningful innovation that has real-world impact on the people in our communities and across the world.”
Tech Launch Arizona, the office that works with university inventors to protect and commercialize innovations, has worked with faculty, researchers, staff and students on thousands of inventions, helping to bring discoveries and products out of labs and into the marketplace where they can impact lives, address real-world problems and contribute to a better world. Over the past 10 years, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued more than 600 U.S. patents that list UArizona employees as inventors.
“Every day, UArizona researchers are working on research that’s driving world-changing innovation,” said TLA Associate Vice President Doug Hockstad. “We’re honored and energized to work with every one of them to advance these innovations and find ways for them to contribute to a better future for all.”
