Forbes published an interesting article last week which named the universities in this country with the most successful tech transfer programs in terms of rate of return ("ROI"), according to a 2006 survey.

At the top of the list was New York University.  Forbes reported as follows:

[New York University] generates $157 million in research-related income on $210 million in research and development (R&D) expenditures–tops the list with a 75% yield. . . . While Remicade has generated the bulk of NYU’s licensing income in the last decade, some 20 other biomedical technologies kick off royalties as well–and 15 more are in clinical trials. . . . Other hot areas include computer science, agriculture and nanotechnology. NYU also takes stakes in start-ups, including Perceptive Pixel, developer of the touch-screen map that CNN uses in its election coverage.

Next on the list was Wake Forest University, which had a 41% ROI.  According to Forbes, Wake Forest’s success was due in part to several patents, which generated more than $1 million in licensing revenue and the development of several key technologies, including the V.A.C. System, a mechanical vacuum technology that promotes wound-healing, which was licensed to San Antonio-based Kinetic Technologies, and a virtual endoscopy machine, which was licensed to GE Medical, a unit of General Electric.

Other successful programs included the Stevens Institute of Technology, Ohio University, Brigham Young University, and University of Rochester.

Interestingly enough, the University of California System (which includes all of its various institutions and campuses around the state) only came in fourteenth on the list, even though it reportedly generates more in total revenue from research than all other U.S. universities.  According to Forbes, out of the University of California System’s $48 million licensing program, about $24 million was incurred from royalties paid on a mere five patents. 

The full Forbes‘ list of the top 15 most successful tech transfer programs in 2006 is as follows:

1. New York University, $210 million in research expenditures, $157 million in research related income, 75% yield

2. Wake Forest University, $146.3 million in research expenditures, $60.5 million in research related income, 41% yield

3. Stevens Institute of Technology, $28 million in research expenditures, $4.56 million in research related income, 16% yield

4. Ohio University, $24 million in research expenditures, $3.26 million in research related income, 13% yield

5. Brigham Young University, $26 million in research expenditures, $3.07 million in research related income, 11.7% yield

6.  University of Rochester, $355 million in research expenditures, $38 million in research related income, 11% yield

7.  University of Minnesota, $596 million in research expenditures, $56 million in research related income, 9.4% yield

8. University of Florida, $459 million in research expenditures, $42.9 million in research related income, 9.3% yield

9. Stanford University, $699 million in research expenditures, $61.3 million in research related income, 8.7% yield

10. Northwest University, $348 million in research expenditures, $29.9 million in research related income, 8.6%

11. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, $269 million in research expenditures, $20.1 million resarch related income, 7.5%

12. University of Massachusetts, $409.9 million in research expenditures, $27.2 million in research related income, 6.7% yield

13.  University of Utah, $246.5 million in research expenditures, $16.3 million in research related income, 6.6% yield

14.  University of California System, $3.04 billion in research expenditures, $193.4 billion in research related income, 6.4 % yield

15.  University of South Alabama, $20.6 million in research expenditures, $1.2 million in research releated income, 5.9% yield