U. among top schools for creating tech firms

The University of Utah is among the top-ranking universities in the nation for creating technology companies based on research.

The university said Thursday that it was second-ranked among U.S. universities in a survey by the Association of University Technology Managers.

The association announced the results of its survey in December and listed the U. third for the number of startup companies formed. The association listed the 10-campus University of California system as one organization, with 39 startups, followed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with 23 and the U. with 17.

The AUTM rankings of public and private research institutions were based on startups created in fiscal year 2006.

New York University topped the list of institutions' licensing income from research activities, with more than $157 million. The University of California system had revenue totaling $193.5 million.

The U.'s licensing income was listed at $16.3 million. The data show the U. had 2006 research expenditures of nearly $246.6 million.

Brigham Young University had five startups, licensing income of more than $3 million and research expenditures of more than $26.2 million. Utah State University had four startups, with $494,523 in licensing income and nearly $138.7 million in research spending, according to the association's data.