The U. now nation's best for launching businesses

The University of Utah now leads the nation in spinning off companies, finally catching No. 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the nation's premier research centers. The U. performs well not only in creating companies, but also in filing patents (119), patents awarded (33) and generating revenue from licensing technology ($26.2 million), according to 2008 rankings released Tuesday by the Association of University Technology Managers, or AUTM (pronounced "autumn").U. officials say the U. has surpassed its Massachusetts rival in fiscal year 2009 with 23 spin-offs,versus MIT's 20. The Salt Lake Tribune