Crain’s Chicago Business (Jan. 13) -- The state’s universities, led by the U. of I. and Northwestern, have seen a surge in patent activity in recent years. The number of patents issued to the state’s universities between 2008 and 2012 increased 47 percent from the previous five-year period. That’s almost three times the increase in patents issued to all U.S. universities, according to a report by the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition.
Related story: Crain’s Chicago Business (Jan. 22) -- More than three out of four patents produced by top American universities in 2011 had an immigrant inventor, including 90 percent of patents from the U. of I., according to the Partnership for a New American Economy.