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By Esther Benenson
The University of Georgia came out well in terms of adjusted gross license income received and start-up companies formed in 1998 in comparison to peer institutions across the United States, according to a survey released last month by the Association of University Technology Managers.
The UGA Research Foundation earned $3,383,662 in licensing income and launched seven start-up companies in 1998. In comparison, Penn State earned $2,012,584 in licensing revenues and formed five start-up companies; Indiana University earned $1,007,882 in licensing revenues and established one start-up company; and the University of Tennessee Research Corporation earned $1,190,127 in licensing income and developed two start-up companies.
“Over the course of the 1990s, the University of Georgia Research Foundation has worked diligently to ensure that its research efforts make their way from the laboratory to the community at large,” says Lisa Kuuttila, director of the UGARF Technology Commercialization Office. “To do that, we have encouraged our scientists to submit new ideas which may be protected by patents or other forms of intellectual property protection, and we have pursued opportunities to market these discoveries to established companies and assist in spinning off new companies. Since 1995, UGA has helped form five to seven new companies per year. In 1998, we had 88 new idea disclosures, more than double that of previous years. The survey validates our increased efforts to market our technology. It’s paying off.”
Nationally, more than $33.5 billion in economic activity and 280,000 jobs were directly attributable to the commercialization of academic research in 1998, according to the AUTM licensing survey. About $24 billion in private and public support for research this past year produced 11,800 technology disclosures, generated 4,800 patent applications and yielded 3,700 new licenses, including nearly 400 new companies--many of which are leading the U.S. economy’s high-tech boom.
The university’s $3.3 million in gross license income was derived from 49 licenses yielding income during the year. These include licenses for pharmaceuticals, instrumentation and equipment, plant varieties, and avian vaccines.
As a separate, non-profit organization, the UGA Research Foundation secures funding for UGA research through gifts, contributions, grants, contract work and sponsored research. It also oversees all intellectual property--discoveries, innovations, inventions, patents and copyrights--developed through UGA research programs.
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