University Technology Licensing Survey

On November 30, 2004, the Association of University Technology Managers® announced the release of the summary report of the AUTM Licensing Survey: FY 2003. Now in its 13th year of publication, the AUTM Licensing SurveyTM is the most comprehensive report of its kind, providing quantitative information about licensing activities at U.S. and Canadian universities, hospitals and research institutions. A record number of institutions — 236 — contributed data for the 2003 survey, which for the first time is presented in two separate reports, one for U.S. institutions and one for Canadian. In overview, U.S. data from fiscal year 2003 shows:

• U.S. establishments continue to experience increased investment in areas such as research funding, up 10.1 percent compared with fiscal year 2002; and staffing levels, up 8.2 percent to an average 4.2 licensing FTEs per office.
• In fiscal year 2003, U.S. offices also experienced growth in invention disclosures, up 7.7 percent; patent applications, up 8.2 percent; and license income, up 5.5 percent since 2002.
• These results indicate slower growth than in past years, perhaps caused by difficult economic conditions or the maturing of the technology transfer field. These factors also may contribute to a decrease in the rate of new startups formed, down 6.7 percent since fiscal year 2002.