Lincoln – For the second consecutive year, the University of Nebraska has been ranked among the top 100 universities in the world in earning U.S. patents to protect the innovative research and discoveries of its faculty.

The ranking is part of a newly released report from the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

In the report, the University of Nebraska ranks No. 79 globally for the number of patents awarded to NU’s technology transfer offices: NUtech Ventures at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and UNeMed Corp. at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Earning patents allows NUtech Ventures and UNeMed to work with NU faculty, staff and students to bring their research in areas like agriculture, health care and engineering into the marketplace. The result is new startup companies, jobs and university-licensed products that grow the economy and improve quality of life in Nebraska and beyond.

“To be in the company of the world’s leading research universities is another sign that the University of Nebraska is a force for growth and change for the people of our state,” NU President Hank Bounds said in a news release. 

The new report’s rankings are based on 2018 patent data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. After securing a patent, the university brings research to market by licensing technology to existing companies or university startup companies. Most university technology is considered early-stage and requires additional research and development.

The University of Nebraska’s 31 patents in 2018 include, for example, UNL research to develop a vaccine that could help producers across the globe fight a devastating swine virus and a new catheter tube at UNMC that will help treat kidney failure in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

– University of Nebraska