Rutgers Rises in National Top 100 Worldwide Patent Ranking
The top 100 ranking highlights Rutgers’ role as a research and innovation powerhouse
Rutgers improved its standing in a worldwide ranking of utility patents granted to university inventors, moving up five spots to come in 68th in the world and 43rd among U.S. institutions in this year’s list, a distinction that highlights the caliber of Rutgers research.
Released annually by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) since 2013, the Worldwide Universities List ranks the top 100 universities holding U.S. utility patents from the previous year to highlight the vital research and innovation taking place within academic institutions. Utility patents cover the functionality of inventions including what it does, how it is used, and how it works, granting researchers the exclusive rights for up to 20 years.
Rutgers has been a fixture in the NAI Top 100 Worldwide Universities List, appearing in all 12 rankings since its inception. Researchers have received more than 50 patents in 2024 for inventions that target Lyme disease, tuberculosis and cancer and seek to improve cardiac health and fitness among many others national and global challenges.
“This top 100 ranking highlights Rutgers’ role as a research and innovation powerhouse not just in New Jersey, or the United States, but in the world,” said Michael E. Zwick, senior vice president for Research at Rutgers. “Rutgers increased its patent total by nine from the previous year, yet another example of our incredible researchers' work to solve issues facing people and communities worldwide.”
The Top 100 Worldwide Universities ranking highlights the critical role patents play in translating university research and innovation and the important role academic institutions play in the innovation ecosystem at large. Collectively, the universities on the 2024 Top 100 Worldwide list hold over 9,600 patents. By obtaining U.S. patents, these institutions can translate their technologies into the competitive global market and make tangible impacts on consumers' daily lives.
“I am very proud of the Technology Transfer team, who works tirelessly with Rutgers researchers throughout the patent process to ensure the amazing and potentially world-changing innovations and technologies developed here at Rutgers are protected,” said Deborah Perez Fernandez, executive director of the Technology Transfer department within the Office for Research. “To be ranked among the top 100 in the world for 12 straight years is an amazing accomplishment.”
Rutgers’ technology transfer workflow begins when a faculty member discloses a new innovation in the Rutgers’ Innovator Portal, which starts the process of protecting, marketing, and licensing technologies with the greatest commercial potential. The Rutgers Office for Research Technology Transfer unit assesses numerous factors regarding the submission, including the technology and distinguishing features, market applications, stage of development, patentability, and market potential to recommend whether a U.S. provisional patent application should be filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
These assessments continue throughout the patent application process, and the tech transfer team works closely with the inventor(s) and outside counsel to secure the appropriate patent protection. After filing a patent application, the marketing and outreach efforts begin. The Rutgers Technology Transfer team seeks to license the technology to a large corporate entity, small business, or start-up with the interest and ability to develop further and commercialize the technology.
“The Top 100 Worldwide List showcases the vital role U.S. patents play in moving technologies from bench to marketplace at academic institutions around the globe,” said Paul R. Sanberg, President of the National Academy of Inventors. “By recognizing and celebrating this crucial step in the commercialization process, we aim to highlight how intellectual property can benefit inventors and their institutions, as well as encourage them to pursue commercializing technologies that can have beneficial societal and economic impacts.”
The Top 100 Worldwide Universities List is one of three annual rankings published by the National Academy of Inventors. These rankings are based on calendar-year data provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and aim to provide a comprehensive view of intellectual property protection in the innovation ecosystem.
Read the complete NAI Top 100 Worldwide Universities List.
