Princeton University has been ranked in the Top 100 among the world's universities for its patenting activity by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). The ranking reflects Princeton-led discoveries that have been patented for their potential to become products or services that can provide benefit to individuals, industry and society. Learn more about Princeton innovations.

“Princeton’s placement among the Top 100 universities by the National Academy of Inventors is a tribute to one of the ways in which our University is helping to solve current and future challenges across a range of issues, from energy and the environment to healthcare and wellbeing,” said Vice Dean for Innovation Craig B. Arnold, Princeton’s Susan Dod Brown Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Princeton earned the 51st spot in the NAI's 2021 Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents. NAI and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) compile the list using data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The report, which has been issued since 2013, ranks the top 100 universities named as the first assignee on utility patents granted by the USPTO during the 2021 calendar year.