For Universities, IP Can be a Game-Changer

Last month, a judge ruled the University of Wisconsin must pay Washington University over $30M for breach of contract related to IP licensing.

The takeaway: IP can be big money for universities. As the chart below shows, patents generate millions in licensing revenue for Universities.

However, very few succeed in monetizing their IP. In a 2015 study, the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) found that the top 10% licensing Universities accounted for over 75% of IP revenue.

This doesn't just hurt Universities, which rely on commercialization for revenue and to retain top scientists, it also impacts companies. Despite billions of dollars spent on sponsored research and technology scouting, only 5% of University IP is ever commercialized. Even if half if this IP is of little value, companies are still only accessing 10% of the value they could be getting from research institutions.