Penn State technological strength ranking soars

Penn State technological strength ranking soars

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State's technological strength, measured by the number of patents issued and the number of times they were cited, soared over the last five years boosted by the highest percent increase in patents among all universities, according to data analyzed by CHI Research and reported this month in MIT Technology Review magazine.

According to MIT Technology Review, patent activity at universities throughout the U.S. surged in both quantity and quality over the last five years. In 2002, 13 of the top 25 universities saw a 50 percent or greater increase over the number of patents issued in 1997. Six universities saw increases of more than 100 percent, but none surpassed Penn State, which produced a 175 percent increase in 2002.

The increase in patents coupled with their relevance sent Penn State's technological strength ranking up from 31st to 14th in the nation. Penn State is the highest ranked school in Pennsylvania. The only other Pennsylvania schools in the top 25 are The University of Pennsylvania, ranked 18th, and Carnegie Mellon, 20th.

Gary Weber, Penn State associate vice president for research and director of technology transfer, said, "This extraordinary growth in tech transfer strength reflects both the depth and breadth of our faculty's expertise and the University's research capabilities. Few universities have such a high level of research in so many different areas. That makes for an exciting tech transfer portfolio."

Earlier this year, the United States Patent and Trademark Office ranked Penn State among the top 10 university patent recipients of 2002.

Many of the patents awarded last year are already generating business, jobs and economic growth at spin off companies. For example, several patents on inventions related to catalysis technology for pharmaceutical applications, developed by Xumu Zhang, associate professor of chemistry, are being put to work at Chiral Quest Inc. The company is the first startup company based solely on Penn State technology to become publicly traded and has a current market capitalization approaching $20 million.

Many inventions in thin film technology for deposited silica and other materials were invented by Stephen Fonash, the Bayard D. Kunkle professor of engineering and director of the Penn State Nanofabrication Facility, and patented by the University. The technology is being commercialized at NanoHorizons Inc., a spinoff housed in the Technology Centre incubator operated by the Center for Business and Industry of Centre County located at Innovation Park at Penn State.

A gel drug delivery method invented by Daniel R. Deaver, adjunct professor of dairy and animal science, and David Edwards, former associate professor of chemical engineering, was patented last year and is being commercialized by EIEICO Inc. The focus of the company is now on administration of insulin and similar drugs through mucosal membranes in humans.

In fiscal 2002, Penn State expended more than $500 million on the research and creative activities from which patentable inventions spring. The research funding comes primarily from federal, industry and foundation sources, is spent in Pennsylvania and stimulates the local economy. For faculty and students at Penn State, the opportunity to do relevant and commercially useful research is an important component of the educational experience and fulfills a central mission of the University to serve the people of the Commonwealth and the nation.

See the article from the December/January issue of MIT Technology Review, "Academic Patent Binge" by Tracy Staedter, at http://www.techreview.com/articles/innovation41203.asp