U of Minnesota sixth in money gained from tech licensing

The University of Minnesota is sixth -- out of 153 universities -- in the amount money made through the  commercialization of university research, according to a study written up in MedCity News.

Ziagen (Abacavir) -- used in the treatment of HIV -- is a huge source of licensing income for the U.  According to the Minnesota Daily in 2010:

... Royalties on the patent for Ziagen, an AIDS-combating drug manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, accounted for over 90 percent of the (U of M Office for Technology Commercialization) revenues in fiscal year 2009.

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In any case, the income has jumped recently, the Minnesota Daily wrote:

The University of Minnesota Office for Technology Commercialization’s revenues have nearly doubled in the past six years, from $48.4 million in 2004 to $95.2 million in 2009.

That said, regents have already discussed how that income could take a hit when the license runs out.

Below is the ranking. You can read the full story here.

1. Northwestern University, $161 million

2. Columbia University, $154 million

3. New York University, $113 million

4. University of California System, $103 million

5. Wake Forest University, $96 million

6. University of Minnesota, $95 million

7. University of Washington/Washington Research Foundation, $87 million

8. University of Massachusetts, $71 million

9. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, $66 million

10. Stanford University, $64 million

11. University of Wisconsin at Madison, $57 million

12. University of Florida, $54 million

13. California Institute of Technology, $48 million

14. University of Rochester, $46 million

15. University of Iowa Research Foundation, $43 million