U of G Ranked Among Top Inventive Universities
June 27, 2013 - News Release
The University of Guelph continues to rank among Canada’s most inventive universities. A survey released this week ranks Guelph No. 1 for the number of inventions in proportion to research funding and No. 2 for the number of inventions per faculty.
“Our strong performance is once again a tribute to our outstanding faculty and researchers,” said Kevin Hall, vice-president (research). “Their creativity and innovation are key reasons that we remain one of the top research institutions in Canada.”
The survey, conducted by The Impact Group, ranked Canada’s universities and public sector research organizations for inventiveness and research commercialization in 13 performance indicators. Categories include total research expenditure, number of inventions per full-time faculty, inventions per million dollars of research funding, and patents and licences issued. Rules requiring researchers to disclose all ideas with commercial potential allow for equitable comparisons of inventiveness among institutions.
Guelph held its No. 1 position in cost per invention in the 2013 report. U of G researchers produce 1.28 invention disclosures for every million dollars of research funding received.
In total, U of G had 181 invention disclosures, just behind first-place University of Toronto with 192 disclosures.
U of G also ranked third for number of licences executed per million in research expenditure, and sixth overall for total licensing income by institution.
The report says Canadian institutions have five full-time equivalent (FTE) technology transfer managers on average; U of G has 2.25 FTEs.
“Our team should be recognized for its productivity, and the volume of technologies and deals being well-managed,” said Erin Skimson, director of the Catalyst Centre. A unit in the Office of Research, the centre runs all aspects of intellectual property management and technology commercialization, including patenting, licensing and company start-ups.
Guelph’s top marks in the survey reflect its co-ordinated approach to research, Hall said. The University aligns research with provincial and federal innovation agendas, and works through the Catalyst Centre to link U of G expertise and resources with research and development needs of industry and entrepreneurs.
The Impact Group, an independent national consulting firm, tracks research activities of Canadian companies, universities and governments. Its sister company, RE$EARCH Infosource, publishes an annual ranking of Canada’s top research universities.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, 519-824-4120, Ext. 53338, or lhunt@uoguelph.ca; or Kevin Gonsalves, Ext. 56982, or kgonsalves@uoguelph.ca.
