AUTM 2006 Data Shows University Tech Transfer Creeps Upward

Nearly 700 new products resulting from university research handled by technology transfer offices reached the marketplace in FY 2006, according to the latest Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Survey of U.S. Licensing Activity released this week.

The 189 research performing institutions that participated in the survey also reported the creation of 553 start-ups during the year and almost 5,000 new licensing relationships with companies.

The AUTM survey provides core data for most of the empirical analysis of university tech transfer efforts. As such, it has drawn criticism in the past for what is not measured – a common complaint for measuring the impact of nearly all research and economic activity. For instance, the National Science Foundation continues to invest considerable staff time and financial resources into developing better measures of an innovation-based economy.

AUTM also is taking strides to improve its survey instrument. While those changes are not evident yet in the 2006 survey, the summary report suggests additional surveys and modifications to the seminal instrument are in the offing.

In addition to its value for impact assessment, the AUTM survey results provides information on the small investments universities are making toward commercializing university-owned technologies through their technology transfer offices. The data appendix provides summary statistics for each of the 189 responding U.S. institutions, including:

* staff size
* total university R&D expenditures
* licenses and options executed
* startups
* invention disclosures
* patents issued
* patent applications submitted
* licensing income

The FY 2006 U.S. and Canadian Licensing Activity Survey, with Canadian survey results being released later this month, is available at: http://autm.net/about/dsp.pubDetail2.cfm?pid=41

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