The National Academy of Inventors ranked Michigan State University No. 48 on its inaugural list of top U.S. universities granted utility patents in 2022. MSU has ranked in the top 100 in the NAI’s worldwide list every year since 2013, the first year that the NAI began publishing the annual report.

“This accomplishment reflects MSU’s commitment to innovation, technology translation and entrepreneurship. The significant investments of both the university and Michigan State University Research Foundation have created an environment where our innovators can thrive and succeed,” said Doug Gage, vice president for Research and Innovation. “With our efforts to increase MSU’s research base and commercialization, we anticipate continued growth in university intellectual property assets.”

The NAI was founded to recognize and encourage inventors with U.S. patents, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and to create wider public understanding of how its members’ inventions benefit society.

Recently Christoph Benning, director of the MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, and Muhammad Rabnawaz, an associate professor and Faculty Laureate in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, were inducted into the NAI as senior members.

The NAI Senior Member Program was established to highlight academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that hold the promise of making a tangible impact on the public’s quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election to NAI senior member status is an elite professional distinction extended solely to academic inventors.

There are also nine Spartans who are members of the NAI Fellows Program, including current interim president Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. Similar to senior members, fellows are academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions. Fellows’ inventions have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election to NAI fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors.

While the NAI has been publishing its Top 100 Worldwide Universities list for a decade, the Top 100 U.S. Universities list is the academy’s newest ranking meant to provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape and the contributions made by U.S. academic institutions.

NAI’s top 100 lists are created using calendar year data provided by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Top 100 placement includes all named assignees listed on the patent.

Learn more about MSU research and innovation.