Technology licenses earn record revenue for U of S

The University of Saskatchewan’s earnings from technology licensing grew to $7.2 million in 2011-12, a 27-per-cent increase over the previous year and placing it in the top 20 per cent of post-secondary institutions in terms of licensing revenue based on preliminary data from the Association of University Technology Managers 2012 Licensing Survey.

By Colleen MacPherson Jul 30, 2012

According to the university's Industry Liaison Office (ILO), licensing revenue from all sources at the U of S was just over $9 million in 2011-12, up 25 per cent from the year before. That represent record earnings for the U of S, said ILO Managing Director Glen Schuler. "Our goal is to ... ensure a supportive and effective environment to transfer technology into the marketplace," Schuler said in a media release. "And we want the university's intellectual propertyâ€”the outstanding ideas developed by our researchers for new products, technologies and servicesâ€”to be used for the public good."

Schuler added that the ILO has consistently been increasing its active license portfolio by at least 20 per cent each year. It currently has 45 actively licensed technologies, and about 50 per cent of licensing revenues are returned to the researches who develop the technologies. Schuler credits the university's success to outstanding researchers, solid company partners and start-up support for commercialization efforts.