Pitt Climbed In The National Academy Of Inventors’ Global Patent Ranking

The University of Pittsburgh climbed two spots on the list of the Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents, according to the most recent list issued by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Pitt innovators were issued 107 U.S. patents in 2025 for a No. 26 ranking, up from No. 28 in 2024, when they were issued 102 patents.

Released annually by the NAI since 2013, the Top 100 Worldwide Universities List spotlights the universities holding U.S. utility patents to showcase the important research and innovation taking place within academic institutions.

Nine institutions outside the U.S. and several multicampus statewide university systems were among those ranked ahead of Pitt.

"Pitt's climb in the NAI patent ranking underscores the determination of our faculty and student innovators to turn research into real-world impact," said Evan Facher, vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship and associate dean for commercial translation at the School of Medicine. "Our innovators are submitting discoveries to the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at a record pace, and securing intellectual property is a crucial step in translating those breakthroughs into technologies that improve lives."

In the last fiscal year, Pitt innovators had their intellectual property licensed or optioned 137 times, including the formation of 15 startup companies, with technologies ranging from AI platforms for diagnosing macular degeneration, aortic aneurysms and ear infections, to a gene therapy to treat hearing loss, and more.

[Read more: Meet the 2025 Celebration of Innovation and Entrepreneurship awardees]

"The Top 100 Worldwide list highlights the importance U.S. patents hold in the global innovation ecosystem. Academic institutions from around the globe rely on this protection of their intellectual property to ensure their technologies make it to market," said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg. "Through recognizing and celebrating these institutions who value their patent portfolio, we are highlighting the benefits of patenting for both the innovators and their universities and encouraging them to translate their technologies for larger societal and economic impact."

Collectively, the universities on the 2025 Top 100 Worldwide list hold more than 9,300 patents, with NAI member institutions comprising 56% of the ranking and 5,600-plus patents.

"University research has long been and continues to provide the spark of breathtaking innovation and the NAI's report makes clear they understand the paramount importance of protecting their intellectual property. University patents ensure that their nascent technologies find real-world application and generate a real-world impact," said John A. Squires, undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Search a collection of Pitt intellectual property available for licensing.

Photography by Aimee Obidzinski