The Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents List showcases schools that advance innovation nationally and internationally.
For the second straight year, the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named the Texas Tech University System to its Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents List.
After debuting on the inaugural list last year, the TTU System improves to No. 74, which celebrates American innovation at schools that promote innovation throughout the U.S. and internationally. Since 2013, NAI has published the Top 100 Worldwide Universities list. The Top 100 U.S. Universities list is the newest ranking published by NAI.
Texas Tech University was granted 70% of the patents held by the Texas Tech University System in 2023. Of the 20 patents granted, Texas Tech researchers hold 14.
“Texas Tech is committed to bettering our communities through innovation and discovery, and this recognition emphasizes the many ways our researchers are pushing boundaries and making an impact," said Joseph Heppert, vice president for research and innovation at Texas Tech. “Our continued success in this area is only possible because of the research, creativity and scholarship of our faculty, students and staff.”
Texas Tech is widely recognized within the NAI. Since 2012, 11 current faculty members at Texas Tech have been named NAI Fellows. They hail from within the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering and the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.
“Texas Tech is thrilled to once again be recognized among the nation's leading universities,” said Cameron Smith, assistant vice president for research commercialization at Texas Tech. “We deeply value our ongoing support and partnership with the NAI, and we are grateful for its commitment to promoting invention and innovation on a national scale. It is truly inspiring to celebrate the extraordinary inventive achievements of our dedicated faculty and staff across the Texas Tech University System, and we are proud of the profound impact their contributions continue to make.”
The Top 100 U.S. Universities list is meant to provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape and the contributions made by U.S. academic institutions. NAI plans to track other, more focused areas of innovation as well.
NAI’s Top 100 lists are created using calendar-year data provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Top 100 placement includes all named assignees listed on the patent.
“As we look at the current and future state of innovation in our nation, we need to ensure that the U.S. is remaining competitive in the international innovation ecosystem,” said Paul R. Sanberg, president of the NAI. “Protecting intellectual property (IP) is a key component to this, and the Top 100 U.S. Universities list allows us to recognize and celebrate universities and their faculty, staff and students who are not only innovating at high levels but taking the additional step of protecting their IP through patenting.”
About the NAI
The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes with more than 4,600 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 260 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate its members’ inventions to benefit society. The NAI has a close collaborative relationship with the USPTO and is one of three honorific organizations, along with the National Medals and National Inventors Hall of Fame, working closely with the USPTO on many discovery and innovation-support initiatives. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation.