The University of Notre Dame has earned a spot on the Top 100 U.S. Universities Granted Utility Patents in 2024, a list published by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).

Released annually, the Top 100 U.S. Universities ranking highlights and celebrates U.S. academic institutions that play a large role in advancing innovation through the critical step of protecting their intellectual property through patents. A strong patent portfolio enables and empowers researchers to translate their inventions: bringing important technologies to the marketplace, bolstering the economy, and creating impactful societal solutions.

Patents awarded to Notre Dame over the past year include new biotechnologies for fighting disease, new printable materials and nanotechnologies, technologies for making wireless communication more secure and more energy-efficient, methods for coordinating emergency responses using drones, new designs to enable fast and efficient flight, and more.

Notre Dame Vice President for Research Jeffrey F. Rhoads said, “We are grateful to our researchers, not just for their inventions, but for the inspiring example they set. They are living out the University’s mission to be a force for good not only by making new discoveries but also by translating their work into new technologies and products that improve lives, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.”

Rhoads, who is also a professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, added, “Credit also belongs to the IDEA Center and its staff, programs, and resources designed to help our researchers develop an entrepreneurial mindset.”

“In the ever-evolving innovation landscape, it is imperative that the U.S. is remaining competitive and at the forefront of today’s emerging research and technologies,” said Paul R. Sanberg, FNAI, President of the NAI. “Ensuring the security of intellectual property through patenting is a crucial component to this and allows those innovations to be effectively moved to market where they can create valuable societal and economic impact. The Top 100 U.S. list celebrates U.S. universities and their inventive staff and faculty for their dedication in ensuring their innovations and IP are protected.”

Since 2013, NAI has published the Top 100 Worldwide Universities list, with the Top 100 U.S. Universities list being 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 2024 Top 100 U.S. list hold over 6,700 patents. NAI Member Institutions comprise 96% of the ranking and hold nearly 6,500 patents.

In addition to its institutional rankings, the NAI also recognizes individual academic inventors through its fellows and senior member programs. Seven Notre Dame faculty members have been selected as NAI fellows. In addition, two faculty members were recently selected as senior members: Tengfei Luo, the Dorini Family Professor for Energy Studies and associate chair in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, and Matthew Webber, the Keating-Crawford Collegiate Professor of Engineering and acting director of Notre Dame’s Berthiaume Institute for Precision Health.

Contact:

Brett Beasley / Research Content Strategy Program Director

Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame

bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183

research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch

About Notre Dame Research:

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.