$40 Billion Payoff from Academic Research Reported

The commercialization of academic research in 1999 resulted in more than $40 billion in economic activity that supported more than 270,000 jobs, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). The 1999 AUTM Licensing Survey reports that business activity associated with sales of products from academic research last year is estimated to have generated $5 billion in tax revenues in the U.S. at the federal, state, and local levels.

AUTM's ninth licensing survey on technology transfer activities among academic institutions in the U.S. and Canada found:

• 417 new products resulting from academic licenses were first made commercially available to the public in 1999.
• More than 340 new companies based on an academic discovery were formed in 1999, with 82% of them operating in the academic institution's home state.
• In 1999 alone, more than 3,900 new licenses were signed with businesses including 12% to start-ups, 50% to small businesses, and 38% to large companies.
• More than 12,000 new discoveries were disclosed in 1999; 5,545 new U.S. patent applications were filed; and 
• 3,661 U.S. patents issued in 1999 to the participating academic institutions.

Responding to the survey were 139 U.S. universities (including 94 of the top 100 research universities), 29 U.S. teaching hospitals and research institutes, 20 Canadian institutions, and one patent management firm. The full report, available for purchase from AUTM, includes 27 tables presenting the results by several categories and by responding institution.

For the first time, the 40-page Survey Summary is available online on the AUTM website: http://www.autm.net/