UT System Ranks Third in Patent Strength, Trade Publications Says

AUSTIN – The University of Texas System in 2010 was ranked the world’s third-best higher education operation in terms of patent strength, according to the national trade publication, Intellectual Property Today.

The UT System climbed two spots from 2009 on the publication’s annual “Patent Scorecard” for universities, which this year evaluated 132 universities from the United States, Japan, Taiwan and Switzerland.

The publication uses an index that incorporates relative strength of universities’ patent portfolios then provides an assessment of the institutions’ intellectual property quality and quantity. The 2010 rankings used data from July 2009 to June 2010. The “Patent Scorecard” was published in the trade’s September issue.

“The UT System’s focus on technology and commercialization has resulted in significant dividends for our institutions,” Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, M.D., said. “Innovation and the creation of cutting-edge technologies continue to be an ongoing priority for all our institutions as we work to fulfill our mission of preparing the next generation of Texans to compete and succeed in an increasingly global marketplace.”

Placing first and second on the 2010 list were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California system, respectively. Completing the top five were Stanford University (4) and the California Institute of Technology (5).

About the University of Texas System

The University of Texas System is one of the nation’s largest, with nine academic campuses and six health institutions. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $12.8 billion (FY 2011) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. Preliminary student enrollment exceeded 202,000 in the 2009 academic year. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates nearly three-fourths of the state's health care professionals annually. With more than 84,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.