TAMPA, Fla. (Dec. 13, 2016) – The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) has named 175 leaders of academic invention to NAI Fellow status.

With the election of the 2016 class, there are now 757 NAI Fellows, representing 229 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes. The 2016 Fellows are named inventors on 5,437 issued U.S. patents, bringing the collective patents held by all NAI Fellows to more than 26,000 issued U.S. patents.

Included among all NAI Fellows are more than 94 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and non-profit research institutes, 376 members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; 28 inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, 45 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation and U.S. National Medal of Science, 28 Nobel Laureates, 216 AAAS Fellows, 126 IEEE Fellows, and 116 Fellows of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, among other awards and distinctions.

Election to NAI Fellow status is the highest professional distinction accorded solely to academic inventors who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. According to the 2016 NAI Activities Report, published in Jul. 2016, NAI Fellows have generated more than 8,500 licensed technologies and companies and created more than 1.1 million jobs, with over $100 billion in revenue generated based on their discoveries.

On 6 Apr. 2017, the 2016 NAI Fellows will be inducted as part of the Sixth Annual Conference of the National Academy of Inventors at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Boston, Massachusetts. U.S. Commissioner for Patents, Andrew H. Hirshfeld will provide the keynote address for the induction ceremony. In honor of their outstanding accomplishments, Fellows will be presented with a special trophy, medal, and rosette pin.

“I look forward to welcoming and honoring the 2016 class of Fellows to Boston in April,” said Nadine Aubry, Dean of the College of Engineering at Northeastern University and NAI Fellow. “The NAI has once again unveiled a prolific group of academic inventors who produce vitally important discoveries for the betterment of society.”

“With each year I continue to be amazed by the caliber of individuals named as NAI Fellows and the 2016 class is no exception,” said U.S. Commissioner for Patents Andrew H. Hirshfeld. “Congratulations to this very deserving group of distinguished academic innovators. I was honored to once again serve as a member of the Fellows Selection Committee and look forward to recognizing this new group of innovative leaders at the induction ceremony this spring.”

Those elected to the rank of NAI Fellow are named inventors on U.S. patents and were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributions to innovation in areas such as patents and licensing, innovative discovery and technology, significant impact on society, and support and enhancement of innovation.

The 2016 NAI Fellows will be highlighted with a full page announcement in The Chronicle of Higher Education 20 Jan. 2017 issue, and in upcoming issues of Inventors Digest and NAI journal Technology and Innovation.

The 2016 NAI Fellows were evaluated by the 2016 Selection Committee included 19 members, comprising NAI Fellows, recipients of U.S. National Medals, National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees, members of the National Academies and senior officials from the USPTO, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Association of American Universities, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, Association of University Technology Managers, and National Inventors Hall of Fame, among other organizations.

“It is exciting to see the NAI Fellows Program continue to grow and honor the world’s most impactful academic inventors each year,” said NAI President Paul R. Sanberg. “The 2016 Fellows exude innovative excellence and we feel truly privileged to welcome them to the Academy and recognize their remarkable contributions to discovery and invention.”