The University of Colorado jumped from No. 53 to No. 20 in a 2019 global ranking of the top 100 universities granted U.S. utility patents. 

All four campuses contributed to CU’s total of more than 100 patents, with CU Boulder contributing 60.

While an increase in patents is a good sign for a research institution’s ability to innovate, the real story is in the potential impact.   

Inscripta, a digital genome engineering company, is one example of a CU-born high-growth startup. The spinoff was founded on an exclusive license to a portfolio of CU patents, including “CRISPR-enabled multiplexed genome engineering” invented by chemical and biological engineering associate professor and Inscripta co-founder Ryan Gill. The innovation developed in the Gill lab accelerates the capabilities of CRISPR genome engineering to better understand diseases and improve the design of new therapeutics.