The University of Pittsburgh climbed three spots to #17 in the ranking of U.S. universities granted utility patents in 2025, according to the National Academy of Inventors.
Released annually, the Top 100 U.S. Universities list highlights and celebrates U.S. academic institutions that play a significant role in advancing innovation through the critical step of securing their intellectual property via patents. By protecting their intellectual property, these universities are able to translate their inventions into commercial technologies, creating tangible societal and economic impact.
Pitt innovators were issued 107 U.S. utility patents in calendar year 2025. The announcement follows NAI’s release of its worldwide patent ranking in February, which showed that Pitt rose two spots to #26 globally.
“The culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at Pitt has never been stronger, which is reflected in the number of patents issued to our talented faculty, staff and students,” said Evan Facher, Pitt’s vice chancellor for innovation and entrepreneurship and associate dean for commercial translation at the School of Medicine. “Pitt innovators are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges in the health sciences, energy, quantum computing, and much more. They are showing the world what is possible at Pitt when collaboration and determination combine to drive innovation.”
NAI has published its . The Top 100 U.S. Universities list was introduced in 2023 to provide a more focused view of the national innovation landscape and the contributions made by U.S. academic institutions. Collectively, the universities on the 2025 Top 100 U.S. list secured over 6,700 patents during the 2025 calendar year. Over 6,000 of those patents are attributed to NAI Member Institutions.
“These universities and their inventive faculty are at the forefront of driving national innovation and competitiveness,” said Dr. Paul R. Sanberg, FNAI, President of the National Academy of Inventors. “By moving their ideas to market and protecting their IP with patents, these institutions are ensuring that the U.S. not only remains competitive on the global stage, but directly shapes the future of innovation.”
The Top 100 U.S. Universities List is one of three annual rankings which are published by the National Academy of Inventors. These rankings are based on calendar year data provided by the USPTO and aim to provide a comprehensive view of intellectual property protection in the innovation ecosystem. The list was published in February and Top 60 Non-Profit Research Institutions and Government Agencies rankings will be released this spring leading up to NAI’s 15th Annual Conference held in Los Angeles, California.