Emory University is ranked No. 58 in the world among universities granted U.S. utility patents in 2014, according to a new report released by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO).
The report, based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recognizes the important role patents play in university research. The NAI and IPO compile the rankings each year by calculating the number of utility patents granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that list a university as the first assignee on the printed patent. According to the report, Emory was granted 35 patents in 2014. For more information, view the full report of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted Patents in 2014 here.
"Emory obtained patents covering a variety of biomedical technologies in 2014," says Laura Fritts, JD, MPH, MBA, director of License & Patent Strategy in the Emory Office of Technology Transfer. "These include a medical device to treat kidney failure, an apparatus for surgeons to practice delicate throat surgery, a potential vaccine for HIV, computer displays to improve patient care, manikins to better train CPR, and the use of microneedles in the eye. The patents address treatment options for hepatitis C, HIV, diabetes, and various cancers."
"The success of Emory's patent program stems from the quality of our faculty's research and our in-house patent group. Having in-house counsel has allowed us to double the number of applications filed each year," says Fritts.
The NAI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutions, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. The IPO, established in 1972, is a trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. IPO is the only association in the U.S. that serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all fields of technology.
More information about the Emory Patent Group is available here.