UNM recognized again for its Top 100 global placement as a research university

The University of New Mexico (UNM) is among the Top 100 Worldwide Universities granted U.S. utility patents in 2017, according to a report published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO). The report uses data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to highlight the important role patents play in university research and innovation.

The report ranks the University of New Mexico 32rd among the top 100 for the number of issued U.S. utility patents received in 2017 for its inventions.

The NAI and IPO have published the report annually since 2013. The rankings are compiled 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 issued patent.

“We moved up this year to 32nd in the world from 2017’s ranking of 33rd,” said Lisa Kuuttila, CEO & Chief Economic Development Officer of STC.UNM, the University’s technology-transfer and economic-development organization.  “Since 2013 when we were 56 among the top 100, we’ve climbed at a steady pace.  Considering that universities with top rankings were for system-wide issued patents supported by considerably larger research budgets, UNM is doing a remarkable job of fostering an innovation culture among our researchers. Universities and university inventors are innovators and drivers of economic growth.”

“There is no question that the patents received each year by UNM inventors are a confirmation of the research quality and market potential of their new discoveries.  However, the patents are equally important because they protect the inventors’ intellectual property rights. Our patented technologies are essential to the companies who want to license them and to our start-up companies who need investors to help them bring these new technologies to the marketplace.  This relationship between patents and commercialization activity has an undeniable positive impact on local and global economies.”

“We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our UNM inventors.  They are the reason we continue to do so well among institutions around the world.  We applaud their dedication and commitment to finding solutions to problems that have a social and economic impact on our daily lives.”

The full report of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents in 2017 can be found at http://www.academyofinventors.org/pdf/top-100-universities-2017.pdf.

About STC.UNM
As the technology-transfer and economic-development organization for the University of New Mexico (UNM), STC.UNM (STC) protects and commercializes technologies developed at UNM by filing patents and copyrights and transferring them to the marketplace.  We connect the business community (companies, entrepreneurs and investors) to these UNM technologies for licensing opportunities and the creation of start-up companies. STC’s vision is to play a vital role in New Mexico’s economic development and to be a leader in technology commercialization.  Under the leadership of CEO Lisa Kuuttila, STC is substantially growing its program using the Rainforest model to develop an innovation economy in New Mexico.  To learn more about us, visit our website at http://www.stc.unm.edu.

About the National Academy of Inventors
The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. www.AcademyofInventors.org

About the IPO
The Intellectual Property Owners Association (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. IPO advocates for effective and affordable IP ownership rights and provides a wide array of services to members, including supporting member interests relating to legislative and international issues; analyzing current IP issues; information and educational services; and disseminating information to the public on the importance of intellectual property rights. www.ipo.org

CHTM plays large role in UNM's research success

Research conducted by faculty members at UNM's Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM) accounts for about 35% of the STC.UNM portfolio of issued US patents. The US patent count for CHTM faculty is up to 207. The cumulative h-Index for citations of papers and patents by CHTM faculty is 100. (The h-index is a number intended to measure both the productivity and the impact of published work.) CHTM plays a key role in UNM's worldwide leadership as a research university.

This article was excerpted from the STC.UNM News article (except for the CHTM statistics):

THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO IS AMONG TOP 100 WORLDWIDE UNIVERSITIES GRANTED U.S. UTILITY PATENTS IN 2017