WARF biotech patent ranking highlights UW–Madison research productivity

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation ranked fourth for university biotechnology patents issued in the U.S. and Europe from 2008 to 2012, according to new data published by Bioentrepreneur.

The ranking showcases the success of UW–Madison scientists in biotechnology fields and draws attention to the importance of intellectual property protection. The article in Bioentrepreneur, a Nature Biotechnology online publication, notes that the number of U.S. biotechnology patents issued has climbed nearly 30 percent over the past four years to a total of 850 issued in 2012.

“We’re really seeing the tremendous work of UW–Madison researchers lead the way in biotech fields ranging from drug discovery to research tools to plant genetics,” says Michael Falk, WARF general counsel. “Through the patenting and licensing process, WARF works to move these inventions out of campus laboratories to commercial partners who use them to produce useful products for society that improve human health, offer environmental benefits and provide technological solutions for industry.”

During the 2008 to 2012 period covered in the Bioentrepreneur ranking, WARF earned 240 U.S. patents, an average of 56.2 per year. In addition, the European Patent Office issued 41 patents for an overall total of 281.

Other top-ranked institutions included the University of California system with a total of 721 U.S. and European patents issued among all of its campuses; Duke University, 303; and Stanford University, 299.