Ranking by National Academy of Inventors, Intellectual Property Owners Association
Case Western Reserve University ranks No. 24 nationally for the number of U.S. Utility Patents awarded to the university and its researchers, according to 2022 data compiled by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The ranking places Case Western Reserve among the elite research universities and ahead of other Top 50 institutions such as Columbia, Yale, Ohio State and Carnegie Mellon. The University of California was listed as the top institution for securing patents.
The rankings were released in September by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) to highlight “American innovation and to showcase the universities that play a large role in advancing the innovation ecosystem within the U.S. and beyond.”
“Patents are a vital step toward innovation and impact, which is a key role for a research university,” said Michael Oakes, senior vice president for research and technology transfer at Case Western Reserve.
Published annually since 2013, the report ranks the top 100 universities named as the first assignee on utility patents granted by the USPTO in the 2022 calendar year.
The USPTO awards utility patents based on what an idea or invention does or how it’s used. While only a small percentage of patented items reach the commercial market, the protections that patents provide represent a critical step toward engaging investors and entities.
Case Western Reserve has demonstrated a steady growth in the rankings, up from 43rd in 2017, 46th in 2016 and 51st in 2015. The university, which made it as high as 17th in 2018 with 95 utility patents, had 90 patents this year.
“Innovation has always been at the heart of U.S. culture,” said NAI Executive Director Jamie Renee, “and the Top 100 U.S. Universities list allows us to recognize and celebrate the commitment these universities have to the American tradition of invention and protection of (intellectual property).”
For more information, contact Bill Lubinger at william.lubinger@case.edu.