FIU has landed among the Top 30 public universities in the United States for the number of patents earned in the past year.
In 2024, FIU professors were awarded 55 patents for their novel inventions. That achievement has for the eighth time garnered FIU a spot on the Top 100 Worldwide List of universities that have received “utility” patents for researchers’ discoveries, as released today by the National Academy of Inventors. Overall, FIU ranked No. 43 in the United States.
Utility patents protect the intellectual property associated with the function of an invention, including how it works, is made and is used. (A “design” patent, by contrast, protects the appearance of an invention.) A utility patent can cover a wide range of inventions like machines, processes, compositions of matter and articles of manufacture. It is the most common type of patent issued in the United States and throughout the world.
Among those who secured patents in 2024 are investigators in the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the College of Engineering & Computing, the College of Business and the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. The Center for Translational Science and the Applied Research Center also recorded patents in 2024.
The latest recognition follows years of heightened patent production during which FIU researchers have contributed innovations in a variety of fields.
Lay observers will not understand all of what FIU’s specialized scientists and engineers study but can well appreciate the breadth of experts working in labs and in the field.
Among the promising FIU inventions of the past year, as they are identified by the United States Patent and Trademark Office: “Systems and Methods for Providing Security for QR Codes,” “Dual-Polarized Ultrawideband Antennas and Antenna Arrays,” “In-Situ Rapid Testing for Assessing Quality of Concrete,” “Biotherapy for Viral Infections Using Biopolymer Based Micro/Nanogels,” “Anti-Mycobacterial Drugs” and “Systems and Methods for Color-Coded Visualization to Aid in Diagnosis and Prognosis of Alzheimer’s Disease.” (See the full list here.)
University research contributes advances that helps drive broader innovation. In some cases, the work that takes place on campus can form the basis for a company. StartUP FIU is actively collaborating with faculty whose inventions have the potential for commercialization.
“Patents represent research focus and are the first step toward eventually translating findings into something useful that can make a difference in people’s lives,” says Vice President for Research Emily Gresham.
At FIU, in recent years, several patented inventions have attracted attention for their promise to make a wide impact, among them an engineered compound to treat and prevent cardiac calcifications; an algorithm that can differentiate the sounds of a healthy heart from one that is developing disease; and a method for using optical technologies to identify preterm labor.
“It’s exciting to see new patents around stated problems in health care as that is one of the largest industries in South Florida,” Gresham says. Health care has been formally identified as an area of research strength at the university, one of three “pillars” that also includes the environment/environmental resilience and tech innovation. “We want FIU to be in the forefront.”
Notably, graduate students over the years have played a signficant role in high-level research projects, some of which have led to patents. Such hands-on experience is a requirement of their education and provides a springboard to jobs in industry and academia upon graduation.
FIU is a member of the National Academy of Inventors, which is comprised of U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes. The academy includes more than 4,000 individual inventor members and fellows spanning more than 250 institutions. Notably, College of Engineering & Computing Associate Professor Armin Mehrabi last month was named a senior member of the NAI along with postdoctoral associates Denny John and Sohail Mohammed. They are part of the 162 emerging academic inventors identified by NAI’s Member Institutions and welcomed to the 2025 class.
