Morgan State University (MSU) recently announced the most patent awards in a calendar year. In 2023, MSU secured 13 patents, surpassing the previous historically Black college and university (HBCU) record of 11.

Morgan began pursuing technology patents only eight years ago. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the university’s first patent in 2016, followed by a second one in 2018.

By the end of 2023, Morgan elevated to the fifth-highest cumulative total of U.S. Utility Patents awarded to an HBCU.

“It’s truly remarkable to witness the accumulative impact of Morgan’s research activity and technical development, resulting in the record number of patent awards we’ve received,” said Willie E. May, Ph.D., vice president of Research and Economic Development at Morgan. “Our commitment to prioritize research is compounded by our unbridled support for Morgan faculty and students to pursue patents for their innovations. We see this framework as a critical component to how universities significantly contribute to technological advancements and improve society.”

One of the 2023 patents that emerged from the work of Morgan professors is the Method and System for Intrusion Detection. This invention relates to monitoring data network traffic to identify and respond to unauthorized intrusions into a data network. The inventors are Wondimu Κ. Zegeye, Richard A. Dean, and Farzad Moazzami, of the Clarence M. Mitchell School of Engineering.

Another 13 patents issued to Morgan inventors in 2023 significantly impact the urban community, specifically public housing.

The innovative computer-based tool, “System and Method for Public Housing Evaluation,” creates an adaptive and dynamic index to assess the public housing environment. It provides insight into the possibility of individuals being able to live outside of public housing and improving the current state and quality of life inside public housing complexes.

Jacqueline Holland, Ph.D., an associate professor and chair of the Department of Family & Consumer Sciences in the School of Education and Urban Studies, created this invention.

Overall, Morgan has been issued 32 U.S. Utility Patents and is currently on a path to be awarded an average of at least one new patent per month throughout 2024.

Morgan has over 35 U.S. utility patents currently pending at the USPTO, filing new patent applications monthly.