The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) has just released its FY2006 U.S. Licensing Activity Survey™ Summary, and the results show healthy growth in the field. Among the survey’s highlights:

• Tech transfer offices introduced 697 new products to the commercial market in 2006, and more than 4,300 since 1998. TTOs also helped launch 553 university start-ups in 2006.
• Total research support continues to rise, with this year’s increase at $3.1 billion over FY2005, to a total of $45 billion.
• The percentage of initial funding for start-ups coming from VCs declined slightly to below 20%, reflecting VCs’ continuing shift toward later stage technology with less investment risk. Start-up funding from states and corporate partnerships increased by 5%.
• U.S. patent applications increased to 15,908 (up from 15,115 in 2005), but patents issued continued to decrease, reflecting delays at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
• Invention disclosures received by TTOs rose to 18,874, an increase of 1,492 or 8.6% from 2005, more than twice the increase seen in the previous year’s survey. Active, income-earning licenses managed by TTOs total nearly 13,000, and they signed just under 5,000 new license agreements in 2006.
• TTO staffing increased for the tenth straight year.

The full summary is available for download at http://autm.net/about/dsp.pubDetail2.cfm?pid=41

Write a comment