Texas Tech University

Texas Tech Breaks into National Academy of Inventors' Top 100

George Watson

October 19, 2023

The Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents List showcases schools that advance innovation nationally and internationally.

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named Texas Tech University to its inaugural Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents List.

Texas Tech debuts at No. 75 on the list, which celebrates American innovation at schools that promote innovation throughout the U.S. and internationally. Since 2013, NAI has published the Top 100 Worldwide Universities list. The Top 100 U.S. Universities list is the newest ranking published by NAI.

“Over the past decade, I believe Texas Tech University has strongly advanced its worldwide reputation as an academic center of innovation and research excellence,” said Joseph Heppert, vice president for research and innovation at Texas Tech. “This award is another indicator of the creativity and impact of the scholarship and research our faculty, students and staff pursue every day. Congratulations to all researchers who have recently received patents and contributed to this recognition.”

Texas Tech is widely recognized within the NAI. Since 2012, 11 current faculty members at Texas Tech have been named NAI Fellows. They hail from within the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering and the Gordon W. Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.

“We are thrilled with Texas Tech's inclusion in the prestigious roster of leading U.S. universities, and we are grateful to the NAI for their support of invention and innovation on a larger scale,” said Cameron Smith, assistant vice president for research commercialization at Texas Tech. “It is inspiring to acknowledge the remarkable inventive accomplishments of our dedicated faculty and staff across the Texas Tech University System and the profound influence their contributions have had.”

The Top 100 U.S. universities list is meant to provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape and the contributions made by U.S. academic institutions. NAI plans to track other, more focused areas of innovation as well. 

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. 

“As a U.S.-based national academy, it is important to us not only to showcase innovation happening on the broader world stage, but here at home as well,” said Jamie Renee, executive director of NAI. “Invention has been part of the American experience since the country's inception, with intellectual property being protected in the Constitution. Innovation has always been at the heart of U.S. culture and the Top 100 U.S. Universities list allows us to recognize and celebrate the commitment these universities have to the American tradition of invention and protection of intellectual property.”

About the NAI

The National Academy of Inventors is a member organization comprising U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutes with more than 4,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 250 institutions worldwide. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate its members' inventions to benefit society. The NAI has a close collaborative relationship with the USPTO and is one of three honorific organizations, along with the National Medals and National Inventors Hall of Fame, working closely with the USPTO on many discovery and innovation-support initiatives. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation.