Top 5 U.S. universities for tech transfer

Researchers working on discoveries at universities and research institutions can create a tech transfer opportunity when there is potential to take their research and turn it into a commercially viable product. This allows entities, such as companies, to find and then invest resources, potentially develop partnerships, and act as facilitators in the process of taking the research commercial. 

The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) notes that before 1980, less than 250 patents were issued to U.S. universities every year. Since fiscal year 2016, that number has increased dramatically, according to AUTM: over 7,000 U.S. patents were issued, over 7,700 new licenses and options were executed, nearly 17,000 U.S. patent applications were filed, over 1,000 startups were formed. and 800 new commercial products were developed.

With this explosion in tech transfer, we looked in Foundation to find which universities in the U.S. currently have the most tech transfer opportunities. 

Foundation is ResoluteAI's scientific discovery platform that provides exploration, search, analytics, and alerts on over a dozen science-focused datasets. 

The top U.S. universities in tech transfer

1. Johns Hopkins University 
2. Stanford University 
3. University of Wisconsin- Madison 
4. Columbia University 
5. University of Michigan- Ann Arbor 

What does this breakdown look like within universities and subject areas? We used our analytics view to see areas where tech transfers were concentrated. The heat map below shows the seven main tech transfer areas across these five universities.  Johns Hopkins is leading the way in all seven areas: medical equipment, nuclear energy, nuclear safety and security, nuclear technology, radiation, radiation effects, and radiobiology.

All together, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Wisconsin, Columbia, and Michigan have 8106 tech transfer opportunities. That is out of over 53,000 that appeared in our tech transfer search in Foundation.

Top U.S.-based researchers in tech transfer

Which researchers have the most tech transfer opportunities? The top five come from Johns Hopkins, the University of California- Santa Barbara (UCSB), Virginia Tech, and Stanford. They are:

1. Bert Vogelstein, an M.D. who is a professor of oncology and pathology at Johns Hopkins, is named in 66 tech transfer opportunities. His most recent one is from March 2020: Microsatellite Instability as a Pharmacogenomic Marker of Therapeutic Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition. 
2.  Kenneth Kinzler, a professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins, has 64. His most recent tech transfer opportunity is also Microsatellite Instability as a Pharmacogenomic Marker of Therapeutic Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibition, which he worked on with Dr. Vogelstein.
3. Tied with Dr. Kinzler is Steven DenBaars, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UCSB, who also has 64. His most recent tech transfers are all from January 2021: Activation of P-Type Layers of Tunnel Junctions in Micro-LEDs, Nitride Based Ultraviolet LED with an Ultraviolet Transparent Contact, and Size-Independent Forward Voltage Micro-LED with an Epitaxial Junction.
4. Fred Lee, professor emeritus in electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech, has 63. His most recent tech transfer was from February 2017. It was filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in July 2017 and published in August 2018.
5. Shuji Nakamura, a professor of materials at USCB and a winner of the Nobel Prize in physics, has 61. His most recent tech transfers are from January 2021, and he worked on them with Dr. DenBaars: Activation of P-Type Layers of Tunnel Junctions in Micro-LEDs, Nitride Based Ultraviolet LED with an Ultraviolet Transparent Contact, and Size-Independent Forward Voltage Micro-LED with an Epitaxial Junction.
6. Zhenan Bao from Stanford has 60. She is a professor and chair of the chemical engineering department. Her most recent tech transfer opportunity is from September 2020:  Genetically-Targeted Chemical Assembly: Building Functional Structures and Materials in Living Cells, Tissues, and Animals.
   

Research across all of these databases was conducted quickly and efficiently using ResoluteAI’s Foundation. ResoluteAI aggregates tech transfer opportunities globally from over 250 universities and institutions into a single database, heavily increasing investors' chances to discover the tech transfer opportunity most in line with their interests. To talk to a real person about how Foundation can help your company or organization, please email us at info@resolute.ai.