USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

Northwestern University

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 1,734 granted patents across 276 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES).

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

Explore the portfolio See the ranking

1,734

Total patents granted

276

CPC technology areas

16.8

Avg claims per patent

+46%

5-year filing velocity

The verdict

Northwestern holds 1,734 US patents across 276 technology areas, rank #241 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#241
of 50,000 US assignees by volume: Top 1%
by Innovation Score (67.5/100): 16.8
avg claims per patent: +46%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

Northwestern University has been granted 1,734 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing Northwestern University at rank #241 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 276 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 16.8 claims per patent with primary concentration in A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES). As a US Corporation, Northwestern University is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, Northwestern sits between Signify Holding B.v. (1,748 patents, rank #237) and Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd. (1,718 patents, rank #245) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 67.5/100 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 1,028 grants, compared with 706 in the 2015–2019 window, a +46% 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. Northwestern University's 16.8 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 Northwestern University against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

Signify Holding B…

1,748
Baker Hughes Hold…

1,746
AT&T Mobility II

1,742
Airbus Operations…

1,734
Northwestern Univ… ◀

1,734
Globus Medical

1,728
Merck Patent

1,728
THE Johns Hopkins…

1,727
Hitachi Automotiv…

1,718

What this shows Northwestern holds 1,734 patents at rank #241, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near Northwestern

By rank, the assignees closest to #241 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in A61K (Preparations FOR Medical)

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

Northwestern's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

67 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

Northwestern University patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	122	7.0%
2016	117	6.7%
2017	147	8.5%
2018	136	7.8%
2019	184	10.6%
2020	191	11.0%
2021	146	8.4%
2022	161	9.3%
2023	154	8.9%
2024	203	11.7%
2025	173	10.0%

Which technologies does Northwestern University patent most?

A61K - PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES 375

A61P - SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS 262

G01N - INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES 241

C12N - MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA 173

C07D - HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS 163

B82Y - SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES 152

A61B - DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION 147

G06F - ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING 116

Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION 114

C07K - PEPTIDES 113

B01J - CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS 85

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 85

C01B - NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; ; METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C 82

Y02P - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS 67

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 67

Top 15 of 276 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Strong

Tech Breadth Diversified

Claim Depth Standard

Velocity Growing

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#241

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

67.5 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 Northwestern University hold?

Northwestern University holds 1,734 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 276 technology areas.

What is Northwestern University's Innovation Score?

Northwestern University has an Innovation Score of 67.5 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

What technology areas does Northwestern University focus on?

Northwestern University's top technology area is A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES) with 375 patents. The company has filed patents in 276 CPC subclasses total.

Is Northwestern University's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?

Northwestern University's recent filing velocity is +46% compared to the prior five-year period. The company is maintaining or growing its patent output.

What does claim depth mean for Northwestern University's patents?

Northwestern University's patents average 16.8 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.

How is the Northwestern 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

Northwestern's 1,734 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 - Northwestern ranks #241 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
Most of this portfolio concentrates in A61K - see who else leads that technology area. A61K 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.