As the debate around changes to US patent law continues, a new study has underlined a significant contribution from US tech transfer operations to the US economy. Covering contributions between 1996 and 2013, the report estimated that academia-patent licensing raised US gross industry output by $1.18 trillion, added $518bn to gross domestic product, and has supported 3,824,000 jobs.

The study, dubbed Economic Contribution of University/Nonprofit Inventions in the United States 1996-2013, was commissioned by life sciences trade…