Patents by UT campuses and institutes in 2014
› UT Institute of Agriculture: 4› UT Knoxville: 15› UT Health Science Center: 12› UT Graduate School of Medicine: 3
NASHVILLE – The University of Tennessee and five other higher education institutions in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama are ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide in terms of the number of U.S. technology patents granted in 2014, according to a new report.
The UT system ranked No. 91 in the report by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. The university received 24 “utility” patents.
According to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a utility patent is issued for the invention of a “new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or a new and useful improvement.” It generally gives the owner the exclusive right to make, use or sell the invention for up to 20 years.
“The granting of patents indicates that our faculty and research staff across the system are producing quality outcomes with potential for commercialization, and as a University, we are committed to providing an atmosphere that supports innovation and encourages our researchers to seek protection of their discoveries,” said David Millhorn, president of the UT Research Foundation and executive vice president and vice president of research for the UT System, in a statement.