Jerusalem, October 5, 2006 - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been ranked 12th in the world in a global rating of university biotech transfer, in a study published by the Milken Institute of Los Angeles.

The study "Mind to Market: A Global Analysis of University Biotechnology Transfer and Commercialization" includes rankings of the world's top universities based on the quality of their biotech research (publication ranking), the number and quality of their patents (patent ranking) and their ability to transfer this into commercial uses (technology transfer and commercialization index).

In the patent ranking category, the Hebrew University ranked 12th worldwide, and first among all universities outside the United States and the United Kingdom. In doing so, it also outranked some of America's and Britain's top universities, including Yale University (18th), Oxford University (24th), and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (28th).

The top three universities in patent ranking are the University of Texas, the University of California San Francisco, and Johns Hopkins University. After the Hebrew University, the top universities in patent ranking outside of the U.S. and the U.K. are McGill University (ranked 14th) and the University of Melbourne (ranked 19th).

The Milken report, which included 424 universities, examined the biotechnology transfer process taking place at universities, from knowledge creation to technology transfer and early-stage commercialization.

The Milken Institute is an independent economic think tank whose mission is to improve the lives and economic conditions of people in the U.S. and around the world.


For further information:
Rebecca Zeffert, Dept. of Media Relations, the Hebrew University, Tel: 02-588-1641, or Orit Sulitzeanu, Hebrew University spokesperson, Tel: 02-5882910 or 052-260-8016. Internet site: http://media.huji.ac.il.