University of Utah College of Engineering Revenue and Competitors

In its April 2017 report, the Milken Institute ranked the University of Utah No. 1 among U.S. institutions of higher education in technology transfer and commercialization, based on an index that included patents, licenses, licensing income and start-ups. In a field that includes such institutions as Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT, what makes Utah so distinctive? An entrepreneurial spirit that dates back to its pioneering founders is embedded in the College of Engineering’s DNA. With a desire to put new ideas into practical use for the benefit of humanity, our faculty have created an environment in which translational research is both fostered and rewarded. Success in technology commercialization at the U isn’t new. For more than 120 years, University of Utah engineers and computer scientists have been first in leading our nation’s strategic defense; in the development of artificial organs, neural prosthetics, and molecular diagnostics; and in pioneering the internet, digital sound, LED’s, and computer graphics. Today, the entrepreneurial spirit burns even brighter in a new generation of faculty and graduates who are working on the frontiers of new materials, nanoscience, cancer treatment, alternative energy, robotics and smart materials, among others, and whose commitment to making the world better is stronger than ever. In 2016, College of Engineering faculty filed 46 invention disclosures and obtained 22 U.S. patents. Engineering has also been the largest contributor to university-launched companies, with 60 new startups since 2006. With nearly $80 million in annual research expenditures, the College of Engineering ranks 38th out of 206 schools in research volume in the 2016 ASEE Profiles. In addition to technology commercialization, the College is fueling the fastest growing economy in America by adding more than 1,000 BS, MS and Ph.D. graduates each year to the technical workforce. In 2000, Utah was home to 1,500 high-tech companies compared with 5,700 of these companies today, which are responsible for producing a significant part of the state’s economic output. The Wasatch Front is becoming known as “Silicon Slopes,” and Utah’s tech sector employment has risen from 46,000 to 70,000 in just a decade. College of Engineering graduates and faculty are a critical factor in Utah’s economic equation.