PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — For a second consecutive year, Brown University ranks among the top 100 universities in the nation for the number of utility patents issued, according to a list released by the National Academy of Inventors based on federal government data.
The academy’s Top 100 U.S. Universities List recognizes institutions that promote innovation through patent acquisitions. Brown ranked No. 72 in 2023 with 22 utility patents granted from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and No. 75 in 2024 with 23 patents secured.
“The continued recognition of Brown as a top 100 institution for U.S. patents demonstrates our institutional commitment to research and the innovative spirit of Brown faculty, students and staff,” said Neil Veloso, executive director of Brown Technology Innovations. “The academy’s analysis also reinforces the importance of research institutions to America’s technology leadership.”
Brown Technology Innovations, the University's technology transfer office, supports the commercialization of technology and discoveries made by Brown faculty and researchers and is responsible for managing the University’s patent portfolio. Veloso credits Brown’s steady ranking to the University’s Operational Plan for Investing in Research. Launched in 2022, the plan to propel Brown scholarship to new levels of excellence has dedicated new resources to the people, spaces and services that underpin the University’s research enterprise.
“Growth in patents is a direct manifestation of these investments,” Veloso said.
Veloso said Brown’s consistency in securing new patents is a results of three factors: emphasis on technology commercialization, effective execution of research administration, and innovation of Brown researchers in areas with significant potential for commercial opportunities. That innovation extends across many of the University’s schools, departments, institutes and centers.
Brown’s School of Public Health, for example, sustains wide-ranging research partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. The University’s new RNA Center continues to generate interest among investors, entrepreneurs and executives. And one of Brown's growing sources of new invention disclosures and patents is the Legorreta Cancer Center, where research led by Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Visual Science and Neuroscience Nikolaos Tapinos led to U.S. Patent 12,060,557 in August 2024: “Targeting enhancer RNAs for the treatment of primary brain tumor.”
Other U.S. patents issued to Brown inventors in 2024 were awarded to Jimmy Xu and Arto Nurmikko from Brown’s School of Engineering; John Marshall and Amanda Jamieson from the Division of Biology and Medicine; and Shouheng Sun from the Department of Chemistry.
“Patents are an important step in unlocking innovation in research,” Veloso noted. “For Brown to fully utilize these translational technologies, intellectual property commercialization is key. For Brown Technology Innovations, this means increased industry engagement with our researchers and technology commercialization through the creation of faculty startups and corporate partnerships.”
Released annually, the Top 100 U.S. Universities List celebrates institutions that promote innovation by securing intellectual property through patents. This enables them to turn inventions into vital technologies and ventures with the potential to strengthen economies and offer solutions to society.
“In the ever-evolving innovation landscape, it is imperative that the U.S. is remaining competitive and at the forefront of today’s emerging research and technologies,” said National Academy of Inventors President Paul R. Sanberg. “Ensuring the security of intellectual property through patenting is a crucial component to this and allows those innovations to be effectively moved to market where they can create valuable societal and economic impact.”