The new rankings, released Wednesday Sept. 16, are based on 10 different metrics including the publication of scholarly journals and successful patent applications.
“Whether they’re in the top five or near the end of the list, all 100 universities in this ranking are among the best in the world. Thomson Reuters reviewed hundreds of universities to produce this ranking, and the ones that appear here are the most elite,” according to an article published with the survey.
“The Reuters Top 100 World’s Most Innovative Universities gets to the essence of what it means to be truly innovative,” the story added. “The institutions recognized here most reliably produce original research, create useful technology, and have the greatest economic impact. They are the surest bets for anyone seeking to invest in and create real innovation.”
According to the survey, the U filed 425 patents from 2008 to 2013 in fields ranging from agriculture to medical devices. In fiscal year 2014, 16 startups were launched and the university received 179 invention disclosures.
As one of the fastest-rising engineering colleges in the nation, the U’s College of Engineering alone has filed 52 invention disclosures and obtained 31 U.S. patents in fiscal year 2015. Since 2006, the college’s faculty and students have founded 53 startup companies from university research. The college generated $77.6 million in research funding for 2014.
“Universities are to teach existing knowledge, discover and develop new knowledge that will improve the human condition, and disseminate that knowledge to others,” said Richard B. Brown, the U’s dean of engineering. “While the most common mode of sharing that knowledge is through publications, the most impactful mode is commercialization.”