The IU Research and Technology Corporation received a record number of patents in the 2015-16 fiscal year, according to a press release.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued 53 patents to IURTC. These patents are a 29-percent increase since last year.
Last year, 41 patents were issued to IURTC. For the last four years, IURTC was issued 13, 18, 36 and 41 U.S. patents.
IURTC protects, markets and licenses intellectual property developed at IU. It’s a not-for-profit corporation that allows property at IU to be commercialized by industries.
It can take several years for a patent to be issued after the initial application is finished, said Marie Kerbeshian, vice president of technology commercialization, in the release.
IU researchers first submit invention discoveries to IURTC technology managers who determine which inventions can be protected. Patent applications are then submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“The work conducted by IU researchers and IURTC managers has increased the number of invention discoveries and patent applications, which means there is a larger pool that can be turned into issued patents,” Kerbeshian said.
IURTC also earned 112 global patents in countries such as Australia, Colombia, Germany, Jamaica, Norway and Russia, among others.
According to the release, IU research has generated more than 2,700 inventions since 1997. These inventions resulted in more than 4,100 global patent applications.
They have also generated more than $135 million in licensing and royalty income and more than $112 million in funding for IU departments, labs and inventors, according to the release.
“The ultimate end result is seeing IU innovations reach the marketplace, where they can strengthen people’s lives around the world,” Kerbeshian said in the release.
Laurel Demkovich
