2017 Licensing Activity Survey

Start-ups Hit Record High: 2017 Survey

Canadian Survey — Key Findings
  • Start-up creation reflected Canada’s strong entrepreneurial environment — respondents reported 111 new start-ups in 2017, a record high.
  • Invention disclosures increased significantly to 1,882, a jump of 10.9 percent over 2016.
  • Canadian institutions may becoming more selective with the patents they file, leading to a higher success rate — the patent application-to-disclosure ratio was 40.3 percent, the lowest in more than a decade. 
Canadian Survey — Purchase the Report

Purchase the 2017 Canadian Licensing Activity Survey (including appendix summarizing data from individual institutions).
Purchase 2017 Canadian Survey
 
Download the free version of the 2017 Canadian Licensing Survey (does not include appendix summarizing data from individual institutions).
Download Free Version

 

US Survey — Key Findings
Academic research is fueling impressive economic gains:

  • 1,080 start-ups were formed in 2017, making a direct impact on local economies, with more than 72.4 percent of the new businesses remaining in their institution’s home state.
  • 7,459 US patents were issued in 2017, the most-ever reported in the Survey, as research institutions invest and protect intellectual property arising from academic research.
  • Consumers and businesses benefited from 7,947 new products created over the past decade.
US Survey — Purchase the Report

Purchase the 2017 US Licensing Activity Survey (including appendix summarizing data from individual institutions).
Purchase 2017 US Survey
 
Download the free version of the 2017 US Licensing Survey (does not include appendix summarizing data from individual institutions).
Download Free Version
 

Search More Than 27 Years of Data
View the data online via STATT (Statistics Access for Technology Transfer), a searchable database of more than 27 years of data. All members whose institutions participated in the 2017 survey receive a free annual subscription to STATT. Members from non-participating institutions can purchase an annual subscription of STATT.

Survey Pricing
AUTM Member Status Publication Price
Members from Contributing Institutions Survey with Appendix Free
Members from Non-contributing Institutions Survey with Appendix $50
Non-members Survey with Appendix $375

STATT Database Pricing
AUTM Member Status STATT Product Price
Members from Contributing Institutions One-year Subscription Free
Members from Non-contributing Institutions One-year Subscription $100
Non-members One-year Subscription $525
 

About the Survey
AUTM invited 312 research institutions to participate in the 2017 US Survey. AUTM received 193 completed surveys, for a response rate of 61.9 percent. Respondents included 167 universities, 25 hospitals and research institutions and one third-party technology investment firm.

For the Canadian survey, 70 institutions were invited. AUTM received 34 completed surveys for a response rate of 48.6 percent.