It marked the 18th consecutive year that UC topped all universities in the IPO's annual list, which is based on data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
In 2010, the 10-campus UC system received 349 patents for discoveries made by its researchers, according to the IPO. The patents stem from UC ideas and inventions for technologies and products ranging from clean energy to medical treatments.
UC now holds 3,802 active U.S. patents, according to UC's 2010 Technology Transfer Report. Last year, UC research also produced 1,565 new inventions and spawned 75 startup companies. UC inventions have led to the formation of more than 500 startup companies since 1976, and these companies serve as an important engine for economic growth in California.
In the IPO's new report of patents granted, UC ranked 83rd overall, behind only the top U.S. companies. IBM once again ranked first with 5,866 patents in 2010.
Among universities, UC was followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (ranked 152nd, with 174 patents), Stanford University (163rd, with 155 patents), the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which manages patents for the University of Wisconsin at Madison (184th, with 136 patents), the California Institute of Technology (188th, with 134 patents) and the University of Texas (199th, with 122 patents),
The Intellectual Property Owners Association, established in 1972, is a trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. IPO is the only association in the United States that serves all intellectual property owners in all industries and all fields of technology.