ASU surges in tech transfer rankings

Arizona State University has surged in technology transfer rankings in a new Milken Institute report released today. In the newly released report, ASU ranks 21st. In the institute’s 2006 report, ASU ranked 43rd.

“Arizona State’s improvement since 2006, in a period of just over a decade, is tremendous,” said Ross DeVol, chief research officer at the Milken Institute. “When you look at the universities ASU ranked ahead of, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, you can go down the list, these are premier research universities and ASU has moved ahead of them. ASU has a top notch research apparatus in place, especially with President Michael Crow’s emphasis on research that doesn’t just advance scientific knowledge but also is relevant to the marketplace.”

The Milken report, “Concept to Commercialization: The Best Universities for Technology Transfer,” ranks more than 200 U.S. research institutions. The methodology controlled for research expenditures and focused on four key indicators of technology transfer success: patents issued, licenses issued, licensing income, and startups formed.

“The Milken Institute ranking recognizes ASU’s commitment to sharing the knowledge we create with the innovation marketplace to better serve our communities,” said Sethuraman Panchanathan, executive vice president of Knowledge Enterprise Development and chief research and innovation officer at ASU. “We’re not only advancing regional competitiveness through research and discovery, but also ensuring that our work has direct impact on lives every day.”

Arizona Technology Enterprises (AzTE) is the exclusive technology transfer organization for ASU. AzTE works with faculty, investors and industry partners to translate ASU innovation into broad societal impact. Since 2003, AzTE has launched more than 100 startups, which have generated more than $650 million in investment capital, and has received more than 2,700 invention disclosures.

Augie Cheng, AzTE’s CEO, was recruited by ASU in August 2007 to lead AzTE’s transformation into a faculty service and impact-driven organization.

“We have been quite fortunate to be able to work with world-class researchers at ASU focused on use-inspired research activities. Our team partners with industry and investors to execute rapid and efficient deals that aren’t bogged down by the typical institutional constraints,” Cheng said. “This emphasis on speed to market, universal marketing, and post-deal support for our technologies and startups has helped ASU inventors achieve real-world use of their intellectual products.”

More information can be found online at http://www.azte.com/.