Academia
Startup companies originating from universities, colleges and other research centers have been thriving, with 32%, or 1,080, new startups established in 2017, according to a survey of 193 institutions. The increase in startup companies underlines the importance of technology transfer offices that can help take products to the marketplace, as over $3 billion in gross licensing revenue was reported in 2017. Total R&D expenditures for these institutions in 2017 grew nearly 2%, or $1.3 billion, with data indicating that institutions are focusing more on unconventional sources of funding and partnerships. Federal R&D funding increased slightly, but is expected to remain relatively flat in the near future, and industrial funding declined 2.1% in 2017, the first decline since 2011. “Other” R&D sources, such as grants from nonprofits or state/city grants, are outpacing federal and industrial funding.
In 2017, 24,998 invention disclosures were reported, a 3.2% decline and the first decline since the survey’s inception in 1991. It remains unclear whether disclosures will again begin to rise or if they have reached a plateau. The most-ever patents were reported in 2017 at 7,459, although the number of patent applications, including new provisional and utility patents filed in the US, fell 5.7%, echoing the trend of declining US utility patent applications over the past three years. This decline may be attributed to issues regarding patent rights in the US due to recent Supreme Court filings.
Licensing is the next step in commercializing protected IP, and in 2017, 2,037 exclusive licenses were granted, a 1.3% decline. In contrast, the number of options and non-exclusive licenses grew 1.2% and 1.9%, respectively. Analyzed together, these data may point towards declining risk-taking on the part of commercial entities for university licenses.
Successful technology transfers result in a new product in the marketplace, and in 2017, 755 new products were released in the market, a 5.4% decrease. Between 2007 and 2012, new product levels were flat, but in 2014, that figure spiked 34.2%; however, numbers have since decreased back to 2013 levels.
