November 30, 2011 – The University of Utah is No. 1 in the nation at starting companies based on university research for the second year in a row, according to an annual survey recently released by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM).

The survey ranks U.S. universities and institutions on commercialization success, and in recent years, the U of Utah has climbed to the top, overtaking such schools as MIT, Columbia, Cal Tech and Johns Hopkins.

The newest survey measures fiscal year 2010. The U of Utah had 18 startups from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010, while MIT was second, with 17 new companies. Other top schools included Brigham Young University with 13, Columbia and Cornell with 12, Johns Hopkins and Purdue at 11 each, while Cal Tech, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan all had 10.

The Technology Commercialization Office (TCO) at the University of Utah is part of Technology Venture Development and manages the school’s intellectual property. That involves working closely with faculty inventors, filing patent applications, licensing technologies, finding commercial partners and helping support startup companies.

“We have created a process around startups and commercialization that can be applied to all kinds of new companies, and we look forward to improving these things,” says Bryan Ritchie, director of the TCO.

The AUTM survey ranks institutions on many categories ranging from employees and expenditures to startups and patents. The U of Utah ranked high on many categories beyond startups. Additional highlights include:

• The University of Utah reported 287 active technology licenses in 2010. A technology license is required each time a company or individual wants to use a university technology. The national average was 210 for all institutions.
• The University of Utah collected 208 invention disclosures in 2010. An invention disclosure occurs when a faculty member reports an invention to the university. The national average was 113.
• The University of Utah secured 41 U.S. patents in 2010. The national average was 24.

“We believe the future is very bright for the University of Utah and the state,” Brittain says. “All of our efforts to commercialize technologies help create high-paying, career jobs in Utah. Some of our older startups are now industry leaders employing hundreds and thousands of people, and we look forward to the future, when our current startups grow to the same extent.”

The complete 2010 AUTM survey is available to news media by contacting Jodi Talley of AUTM at jtalley@autm.net or 847-559-0846, ext. 237. The public can purchase it at www.autm.net.

About Technology Venture Development

Technology Venture Development (“Tech Ventures”) at the University of Utah was founded in 2005 to drive all commercialization activities across campus. Its largest department is the Technology Commercialization Office (TCO), which was established in 1968 and manages the university’s intellectual property. Tech Ventures also hosts a variety of programs and outreach efforts to engage faculty, students and professionals in the commercialization process. Learn more at www.techventures.utah.edu.

About the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)

AUTM was founded in 1974 and provides development and networking opportunities for technology transfer professionals at all career levels and from established and newly forming organizations worldwide. Its global network of members come from more than 350 universities, research institutions, teaching hospitals and government agencies as well as hundreds of companies involved with managing and licensing innovations derived from academic and nonprofit research.  Learn more at www.autm.net.