USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

North Carolina State University

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 585 granted patents across 221 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: C12N (MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA).

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

585

Total patents granted

221

CPC technology areas

14.7

Avg claims per patent

+45%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

North holds 585 US patents across 221 technology areas, rank #784 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#784
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 1%
by Innovation Score (64.8/100): 14.7
avg claims per patent: +45%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

North Carolina State University has been granted 585 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing North Carolina State University at rank #784 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 221 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 14.7 claims per patent with primary concentration in C12N (MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA). As a US Corporation, North Carolina State University is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, North sits between Kyoto University (588 patents, rank #780) and Howmedica Osteonics Corp. (583 patents, rank #788) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 64.8/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.

Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 346 grants, compared with 239 in the 2015–2019 window, a +45% shift in five-year velocity. Steady filing volume suggests sustained innovation without dramatic pivots. The US Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.

Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. North Carolina State University's 14.7 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a diversified footprint across 100+ CPC subclasses spreads risk across many technology fronts. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark North Carolina State University against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Kyoto University

588
Kokusai Electric

587
Phoenix Contact &…

587
PPG Industries Oh…

586
North Carolina St… ◀

585
Agilent

583
Bayer Cropscience…

583
Children's Medica…

583
Howmedica Osteoni…

583

What this shows North holds 585 patents at rank #784, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near North

By rank, the assignees closest to #784 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in C12N (Microorganisms OR Enzymes)

Other assignees with the most granted patents in North's primary technology class.

North's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)

65 Top 1% higher than 99% of 50,000 US assignees

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USPTO PatentsView, PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025

USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table

North Carolina State University patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	37	6.3%
2016	54	9.2%
2017	53	9.1%
2018	41	7.0%
2019	54	9.2%
2020	52	8.9%
2021	46	7.9%
2022	65	11.1%
2023	63	10.8%
2024	76	13.0%
2025	44	7.5%

Which technologies does North Carolina State University patent most?

C12N - MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA 99

A61K - PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES 79

A61P - SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS 66

C07K - PEPTIDES 44

C12Q - MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEIC ACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS ; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL OR ENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES 40

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 38

A01H - NEW PLANTS OR ; NON-TRANSGENIC; PROCESSES FOR OBTAINING THEM; PLANT REPRODUCTION BY TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES 35

A01N - PRESERVATION OF BODIES OF HUMANS OR ANIMALS OR PLANTS OR PARTS THEREOF ; BIOCIDES, e.g. AS DISINFECTANTS, AS PESTICIDES OR AS HERBICIDES ; PEST REPELLANTS OR ATTRACTANTS; PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS 34

A61B - DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION 30

C07D - HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS 28

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 23

A24B - MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF 22

A61M - DEVICES FOR INTRODUCING MEDIA INTO, OR ONTO, THE BODY ; DEVICES FOR TRANSDUCING BODY MEDIA OR FOR TAKING MEDIA FROM THE BODY ; DEVICES FOR PRODUCING OR ENDING SLEEP OR STUPOR 22

Y02A - TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE 21

A61L - METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES 19

Top 15 of 221 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#784

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

64.8 out of 100

View all rankings →

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

How is Innovation Score calculated?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many patents does North Carolina State University hold?

North Carolina State University holds 585 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 221 technology areas.

What is North Carolina State University's Innovation Score?

North Carolina State University has an Innovation Score of 64.8 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does North Carolina State University focus on?

North Carolina State University's top technology area is C12N (MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA) with 99 patents. The company has filed patents in 221 CPC subclasses total.

Is North Carolina State University's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

North Carolina State University's recent filing velocity is +45% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

What does claim depth mean for North Carolina State University's patents?

North Carolina State University's patents average 14.7 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the North Carolina State University patent data sourced?

All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.

How to use this portfolio

North's 585 grants land it in the top 1% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.

Read that count against the largest US assignees before treating it as dominance - North ranks #784 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in C12N - see who else leads that technology area. C12N leaders
Check what the four-part Innovation Score actually rewards before comparing it to another company. How the score works

Patent counts and the Innovation Score measure patenting activity, not commercial success or the legal strength of any patent. Many patents are filed defensively. Verify the status of an individual patent against official USPTO records.

Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView - official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView database. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sources used on this page

USPTO PatentsView - the disambiguated bulk patent-grant, assignee, and CPC data this page's figures are derived from. patentsview.org
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) - the joint USPTO/EPO classification scheme used to group patents by technology area. cooperativepatentclassification.org
USPTO Patent Public Search - the official interface to verify the status of any individual patent. ppubs.uspto.gov

Compiled byPlainPatent Editorial, US Patent Intelligence Editorial Team · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.