According to the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association, Vanderbilt University ranks 35th on the list of the top 100 worldwide universities granted U.S. utility patents in 2020. This is up one spot from 2019. The list was compiled using data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during the 2020 calendar year.
The year was a record-setting one for Vanderbilt faculty and the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization. CTTC provides professional commercialization services to Vanderbilt faculty, translating the remarkable research conducted on campus into meaningful services, products and future research opportunities that will have a positive impact on the world.
In FY20 alone, CTTC facilitated 1,057 material transfer agreements, 94 licensing transactions, 33 investor pitches and five startup opportunities; issued 76 U.S. patents and evaluated 168 invention disclosures across 63 distinct departments, divisions, institutes and centers. The faculty working with CTTC on commercializing their research spans the School of Nursing, College of Arts and Science, School of Medicine Basic Sciences, Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, School of Medicine Clinical Sciences and School of Engineering.
“Despite all the challenges of the pandemic, we had a tremendous year in 2020 thanks to the innovative thinking that is the hallmark of our Vanderbilt community and the dedication of the CTTC team,” said Vice Provost for Research Padma Raghavan. “Our position on this list is a reminder that the Vanderbilt research community has a key role in shaping our world for the better.”
Alan Bentley, assistant vice chancellor of CTTC, added: “Our team’s mission is to ensure that the outcomes of our faculty’s research benefit the public through the creation of new products and services. The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship unique to Vanderbilt has given us the opportunity to fulfill that mission in spades. We work with some of the brightest minds in academia and look forward to doing so in the years to come.”
The National Academy of Inventors® is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. The NAI was founded in 2010 with a focus on recognizing and encouraging inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhancing the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encouraging the disclosure of intellectual property, educating and mentoring innovative students, and translating the inventions of its members to benefit society.