Purdue recognized as national innovation leader: 4th among US universities in US patents received

In the 2022 calendar year, Purdue Research Foundation received 192 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), placing Purdue fourth among all U.S. universities. The information was published in a report Tuesday (Sept. 12) from the National Academy of Inventors. The top three were the University of California system, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Texas system.

Purdue Research Foundation manages the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization, which operates the technology transfer process. OTC vets invention disclosures from university personnel, applies for patents and other intellectual property protections, and licenses innovations to established and startup companies worldwide. OTC’s technology portfolio covers innovations in agriculture, computer technology, engineering, medical/health, pharmaceuticals, veterinary medicine and more subject areas.

Purdue University President Mung Chiang said the NAI ranking strengthens the university’s national reputation in several ways.

“First, the ranking proves that the university’s researchers are making discoveries along a wide breadth of subjects from energy and manufacturing to medical devices and pharmaceuticals and beyond,” Chiang said. “Second, the USPTO issues patents only on innovations that are novel and useful. Purdue researchers are making discoveries that have not been seen before and serve a purpose to benefit people’s lives. Third, the ranking proves that Purdue has developed a culture where discovery is the first step, not the final destination. Industry partners and entrepreneurs are aware of Purdue resources to bring innovations to the marketplace.”

Brian Edelman, president of Purdue Research Foundation, said Purdue Innovates provides a turnkey solution for Purdue University researchers with an interest in entrepreneurship.

“Purdue Innovates makes sure innovations from the laboratory reach the public,” Edelman said. “We provide dedicated services from protecting and licensing innovations to launching companies that bring university intellectual property to the market. These services include coaching innovators with plans for a startup and networking connections between company founders and respected Purdue businesspeople, investors and entrepreneurs to help the Purdue-connected startups obtain the talent and capital to grow at scale.”

Brooke Beier, senior vice president of Purdue Innovates, said the high level of technology transfer achievement is attributable to the excellence of two groups.

“First are the dedicated Purdue researchers who disclose innovations to the Office of Technology Commercialization and work closely with the OTC team through the entire patenting process. Their brilliant discoveries are at the core of the technology transfer pipeline,” Beier said. “Second are the dedicated professionals at OTC who vet, protect and license Purdue’s intellectual property. They shepherd the discoveries through the pipeline with their subject-matter expertise, legal acumen and business insight.”

In the 2022 fiscal year, the Office of Technology Commercialization:

• Received 379 total disclosures from Purdue innovators: 361 invention disclosures and 18 copyright disclosures.
• Filed 699 patent applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and international patent organizations.
• Received 239 U.S. and international patents.
• Executed 157 licenses and options.
• Received $6.77 million worth of gross revenue in royalty and licensing income ($4.26 million net).
• Helped establish nine startup companies.

About the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In fiscal year 2022, the office reported 157 deals finalized with 237 technologies signed, 379 disclosures received and 169 issued U.S. patents. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, which received the 2019 Innovation and Economic Prosperity Universities Award for Place from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. In 2020, IPWatchdog Institute ranked Purdue third nationally in startup creation and in the top 20 for patents. The Purdue Research Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research institution with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top 4 in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, with 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 12 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap, including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the new Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, and Purdue Computes, at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.