Patent or perish? Universities are more inventive than ever - ARCHIVED

Twenty years ago, it was rare for a university to patent an invention, create a spin-off company or license a technology - the priority was to "publish or perish." But according to the results of a new pilot survey, the catch phrase might well become "patent or publish". In 1997-98, Canada's universities registered 143 new patents and licensed 243 technologies, bringing in almost $16 million in royalties.