NAI Announces Top 100 U.S. Universities

September 12th, 2023

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has launched their newest ranking list, Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents. As a complement to their Top 100 Worldwide Universities list, this new list was created to highlight and celebrate U.S. universities that play a large role in advancing innovation and invention in the United States.

“As a U.S. based national Academy, it is important to us not only to showcase innovation happening on the broader world stage, but here at home as well. Invention has been part of the American experience since the country’s inception, with intellectual property being protected in the Constitution”, said Jamie Renee, Executive Director of NAI. “Innovation has always been at the heart of U.S. culture and the Top 100 U.S. Universities list allows us to recognize and celebrate the commitment these universities have to the American tradition of invention and protection of IP.”

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. 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 the innovation landscape 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. See the full Top 100 U.S. Universities List here.

About the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2022

The information provided in this list is based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For this report, a university is defined as an institution that has undergraduate degrees. Patents include only utility patents granted during the 2022 calendar year. All assignees are credited for patents when listed. The number of patents granted does not necessarily indicate the value of a university’s technology, the effectiveness of its research, or whether its patents will be successfully licensed and/or brought to market. This is a dynamic list of worldwide institution patents. Some universities may record patents under different, yet similar names or combine their patents under one foundation or trustee name. If you have questions please contact:  [email protected]