Washington State University was recently ranked among the top 100 U.S. universities for holding utility patents by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), highlighting the important research and innovation taking place within the institution.
With 14 U.S. utility patents, WSU is ranked 100 in the NAI’s 2024 Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents list. The following research are a few examples of WSU inventions to receive a utility patent in 2024:
- A cost-effective, single-step process that produces a specific type of biochar that is better at removing phosphates from water runoff. This creates a biochar used as a food source for field grown crops that can increase the soil health of the field.
- A potential COVID-19 treatment that can improve breathing by reducing inflammation in the lungs.
- Genome editing to create male livestock with inactive NANOS genes, rendering them infertile but otherwise healthy, so they can receive donor spermatogonial stem cells for breeding while females remain fertile.
- Preparation and use of vegetable oil-based adhesives and coatings for enhanced performance and bio-content.
- A process for chemically recycling post-consumer cotton waste to produce refreshed fibers using green solvents.
“Being included on the National Academy of Inventors Top 100 list is an incredible honor for WSU, recognizing the spirit of discovery and innovation that drives our faculty members and our researchers,” said Jeremy Tamsen, director of the WSU Office of Commercialization. “This recognition highlights the important impacts our faculty make through their inventions and discoveries. Our job as a research institution is to solve real problems, and patents help us do just that.”
Released annually, the Top 100 U.S. Universities ranking highlights and celebrates the large role U.S. academic institutions play in advancing innovation through the critical step of securing their intellectual property through patents. This enables and empowers universities to bring important technologies to the marketplace, bolstering the economy and creating tangible societal solutions to real world problems.
“In the ever-evolving innovation landscape, it is imperative that the U.S. remains competitive and at the forefront of today’s emerging research and technologies,” said Paul R. Sanberg, an NAI fellow, and president of the NAI. “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. The Top 100 U.S. list celebrates U.S. universities and their inventive staff and faculty for their dedication in ensuring their innovations and IP are protected.”
Since 2013, NAI has published the Top 100 Worldwide Universities list, with the Top 100 U.S. Universities list being introduced in 2023 to provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape and the contributions made by U.S. academic institutions. Collectively, the universities on the 2024 Top 100 U.S. list hold over 6,700 patents. NAI member institutions comprise of 96% of the ranking and hold nearly 6,500 patents.
