Kansas State University Research Foundation (KSURF), the intellectual property management arm of Kansas State University, today revealed it has generated licensing revenues of more than $37m since it was established 75 years ago.
KSURF manages the spinout process alongside Kansas State University’s Institute of Commercialisation (KSU-IC), with KSURF taking charge of portfolio management while KSU-IC acts as KSURF’s agent for commercialisation.
The foundation obtained its first invention disclosure in 1942 for test tube and bottle stoppers. Its first patent followed in 1944 – a plastic vessel for keeping frozen foods.
Since it launch, KSURF has helped obtain US patents for more than 250 assets and licenses for more than 300 technologies, a period that has seen the cost of each patent filing spiral from $40.60 in 1944 to approximately $10,000 today – up to $25,000 over the lifetime of a patent.
Chris Brandt, president and chief executive of KSURF, said: “Patenting an invention is now a complex global process, but KSURF’s intellectual property expertise can help Kansas State technologies reach the world.”
