At the national level, according to the survey, Case Western Reserve continued its successful performance, ranking in the top 10 with respect to the other 109 institutions whose research base is $300 million or less:

• number four in invention disclosures received (174);
• number five in gross licensing income and;
• number seven in executed licenses.

And in the top 15 nationally:

• number 11 in cumulative active licenses;
• number 13 in licensing revenue as a percentage of research funding (3.72 percent) and;
• tied for number 14 in startups.

"These results demonstrate the university's world-class capability in technology transfer," said Mark Coticchia, vice president for research and technology management at Case Western Reserve. "The positive impact of the program, in terms of economic benefit and good to society, extends far beyond the university to Cleveland, the northeast Ohio region, and the state of Ohio."

Coticchia points to the number of executed licenses as particularly noteworthy. The 37 license deals, a record for Case Western Reserve, earned the university top ranking in Ohio and the seventh spot nationally. "Our results in this and the other categories are a tribute to the hard work of the faculty and everyone else at the university associated with the technology transfer program,"he said.

He also notes another area of success: The amount of industry-sponsored funding at Case Western Reserve has increased by more than 50 percent in the last six years. On his arrival at the university in 2001, Coticchia led the institution in implementing a new strategy to establish long-term relationships with industry and attract more industry-sponsored research. The effort is paying dividends. With the schools of engineering and medicine leading the way, the university received approximately $12 million out of a total of 175 awards from business and industry to conduct research in fiscal year 2007.

Each industry-sponsored project is led by a university principal investigator (PI) who guides the research, shapes the resulting technology and is responsible for the scientific coordination with the sponsoring company.

Looking ahead to next year, Coticchia anticipates continued record levels of revenues and transactions. In addition, he said, Case Western Reserve's portfolio of startup companies will be in position for positive liquidity events.

For more information, contact Laura Massie, 216-368-4442.