Tristan Wood
The University of Florida (UF) ranked first among public universities and second nationwide in a new report that evaluates how effective universities bring discoveries into the economy.
The report is titled, “Research to Renewal: Advancing University Tech Transfer.” It evaluated which U.S. universities are best at moving new discoveries from the lab and into the real world through research commercialization and STEM graduates to infuse the discoveries into private industry and yield economic return.
The report was conducted by Heartland Forward, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on improving economic performance in the center of the United States through research, gatherings and policy recommendations
The metrics taken into account in the report included invention disclosures, number of licenses, licensing income, startups formed, relative number of STEM graduates and citations of university articles contained in patents granted to firms.
The report noted in their evaluation that UF has a huge student body with research enterprise. The report said its technology transfer prowess was seeded in the 1960s with its creation of Gatorade.
David Norton, UF’s vice president for research, said bringing discoveries to the private sector to impact people’s lives is a priority for the university.
“One of the most important parts of our mission as a public university is to translate our research into impact beyond the academic setting in a way that directly affects people’s daily lives,” Norton said.
“This recognition of UF as the best public university in the U.S. at translating research discoveries into technologies that create companies and economic opportunities speaks volumes to the excellence of our faculty and students, and the value of our institution to our state and nation.
A full copy of the report can be read here.
