The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released a preliminary list of the top 10 universities with the most patents for inventions March 18, where the University of Wisconsin System placed eighth for most patents in 2004.

For the eleventh consecutive year, the University of California led the group of major research institutions with 424 patents in 2004. The closest competitor was the California Institute of Technology with 135 patents.

Development and commercialization of technology are essential for a strong economy, Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO Jon Dudas said in a release.

“Academic institutions are generators of discovery and innovation,” Dudas said. “Their patented inventions benefit all Americans through new jobs and new products that improve our lives daily.”

The UW System also helped contribute to this initiative for discovery and innovation, placing eighth in the group with 64 patents in 2004. However, this number is down from last year, when the UW System placed sixth for the number of patents for inventions.

UW Provost Peter Spear said he did not think a shift of two positions was significant.

“Our faculty and staff are very successful in turning their research findings into patents,” Spear said. “We’re routinely in the top ten.”

Despite the UW System’s drop in rank, both Wisconsin and the UW System have started on a track to turn the university network into a research powerhouse.

In his executive budget proposal, Doyle proposed $750 million for research initiatives, including the new Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

Doyle’s objectives include $1.5 million annually to support Alzheimer’s research and $132 million for a research facility at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Children’s Hospital.

According to UW Dr. Sanjay Gupta, one of the major proponents of helping develop Alzheimer research at UW, increased funding will help generate more patents.

“The more research we do, the more eminent this university is going to become,” Gupta said. “Those [kinds of research] are going to bring a lot of funds, a lot of prestige to this university.”

From an Alzheimer’s research perspective, Gupta added the number of patients with the disease could shoot up in the next 50 years.

“It is one of the most devastating disease to affect human beings,” Gupta said. “The disease is extremely costly [for Wisconsin].”

The WID, a $375 million public/private research center, will combine the disciplines of biology, bioinformatics, computer science, engineering and nanotechnology. At a press conference on Mar. 17, Doyle announced the beginning of the WID initiative and dedicated $19 million to the project.

The 450, 000 square foot complex will be located between Charter Street and Randall Avenue.

According to Spear, Doyle’s research initiatives will help build on several key UW strengths, including biotechnology, information technology and nanotechnology.

“It builds on that. At the same time it will provide a terrific boost to our ability to bring those broad fields together for even more interdisciplinary research,” Spear said.

Spear added the WID would also house several other operations, including rooms for undergraduate and graduate education and facilities for the incubation of businesses.

“It really brings together a lot of the important aspects of research, teaching and outreach we have here at the university,” Spear said.