USF is among the top 25 colleges nationwide for its technology transfer

[Mama_Bull]

The University of South Florida is among the top 25 colleges nationwide for its technology transfer, which is the ability to develop basic research into new technologies and companies.

USF ranks No. 19 on the list, beating out major universities like Northwesternand the University of California at San Diego.

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USF Tampa Campus

The rankings are based on a school’s ability to issue patents and licenses on new technology, with extra weight given based on how much income is derived from licensing and how many startups are formed. USF issued 114 patents in 2016, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Patents List.

USF has a new building with a wing dedicated to helping startups, providing space for researchers to develop and test new technologies and products.

The report found research funding through universities nationwide helps create mid-level and highly skilled jobs.

"American economic vitality is fueled by invention," said Ross DeVol, chief research officer for the Milken Institute, which authored the study. "As a society, we understand our universities as the training ground for the next generation of leaders and doers, but we often overlook the benefits these institutions impart simply by bringing new ideas to life. Our study shows the impact of university research both locally and nationally is profound, and needs our support."

The study identified four policy recommendations including maintaining scientific research funding, creating best practices and targeting federal funding and matching grants.

The report recommends increasing federal research funding by incentivizing those schools that demonstrate success in the market and to provide matching grants to fund increased staffing opportunities.

Only two other Florida universities made the list. The University of Florida ranked No. 3 while the University of Central Florida came in three spots below USF at No. 22.

The University of Utah and Columbia University ranked in the top two spots with Brigham Young University and Stanford University rounding out the top five. Here's the top 25 ranking order:

1. University of Utah
2. Columbia University
3. University of Florida
4. Brigham Young University
5. Stanford University
6. University of Pennsylvania
7. University of Washington
8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
9. California Institute of Technology
10. Carnegie Mellon University
11. New York University
12. Purdue University
13. University of Texas System
14. University of Minnesota
15. University of California, Los Angeles
16. University of Michigan
17. Cornell University
18. University of Illinois Chicago Urbana
19. University of South Florida
20. University of California, San Diego
21. Arizona State University
22. University of Central Florida
23. Northwestern University
24. University of Pittsburgh
25. North Carolina State University

Janelle Irwin is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2017/04/21/university-of-south-florida-tops-northwestern-uc.html