Although it’s been controversial, universities have thrown themselves into the business of commercializing their research. Here’s how Boston-based institutions are performing in this arena.

Caitlin Stier

Since the Bayh-Dole Act was passed in the United States in 1980, universities have taken control of the commercialization of their research. Boston in particular has undergone a technological renaissance in which research findings are transformed into real products, academia work more closely with industry, and numerous small companies have been created.

A report on academic technology transfer released in September by the Milken Institute, a Santa Monica, CA-based economic think tank, ranks MIT first among universities worldwide based on a commercialization index calculated using parameters such as income from the licensing of patents and the number of spinoff companies created.

Here are the technology transfer activities for five local institutions from the fiscal year 2006, ranked according to revenue received from these activities.

MIT
New patents filed: 321
Patents issued: 121
Startups created: 23
Royalties: $42,300,000
Gross revenue: $48,200,000

Harvard University (includes Harvard Medical School)
New patents filed: 156
Patents issued: 32
Startups created: 3
Royalties: $15,535,122
Gross revenue: $20,929,662

Tufts University (includes Tufts-New England Medical Center)
New patents filed: 29
Patents issued: 21
Startups created: 3
Royalties: $1,749,417
Gross revenue: $3,280,598
(calculated from separate reports)

Boston University (includes Boston Medical Center)
New patents filed: 65
Patents issued: 12
Startups created: 3
Royalties: $621,853
Gross revenue: $2,300,000

Northeastern University
New patents filed: 46
Patents issued: 13
Startups created: 2
Royalties: $119,775
Gross revenue: $472,272

Sources:
Technology transfer offices of MIT, Harvard, Tufts, Boston University, and Northeastern

Mind to Market: A Global Analysis of University Biotechnology Transfer and Commercialization, Milken Institute