New ideas are generated in Oregon at an increasing rate. In order to maximize value to the state, Oregon needs to focus on developing these ideas into new products and services for new and existing businesses.
The number of invention disclosures—the first step in determining if an invention 
should be patented—and patents measure the extent to which intellectual property is created in the state. Patent citations—when an inventor cites a previous patent in a patent application—are a measure of the technical relevance of a patent to later inventions. Commercially feasible research and development (R&D) reflects the innovative abilities of the various public and private research institutions to catalyze new products, jobs and companies.
Oregon ranked 23rd nationally in the number of invention disclosures coming out of the university system in 2007. The number of invention disclosures filed by the state’s research institutions has grown steadily since 2003 and disclosures per million dollars of research funding are approaching highs experienced in 2002. Oregon research institutions improved in this measure relative to pre-recession levels. See Figure 2.
Oregon ranked 6th in the nation in patents per million persons and 12th in patent citations per million persons in 2008. Although both indicators decreased, along with both state rankings, Oregon still exceeds the national average. Recent performance indicates that the state has room for improvement and highlights the need to remain focused on developing new ideas into marketable products. See Figure 3 & 4.
Next: Research & Development
Business Oregon provided a $250,000 grant through the Oregon Nanoscience & Microtechnologies Institute, which allowed Corvallis-based Perpetua Power Source Technologies to develop a next-generation power generation source for wireless devices.
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