(U-WIRE) PULLMAN, Wash. ÷ More than $827 million was collected from universities in 2001 all over the nation for patents, signed licenses and start up companies.

One hundred and forty-three universities from the United States were researched in this study. A total of 9,454 patents, 3,300 licenses and more than 402 start-up companies were accumulated for the university in 2001.

Washington State University did not rank in the top ten, but there have been many patents that have been signed with the college.

For example, Boeing donated the patents for the Microwave Vacuum Dehydration Technology, which is a way to preserve fresh foods. More than 12 million dollars in donations have come from Boeing, ranging from equipment to cash and gifts.

Washington state is a land-grant research institute for the state, which has been ranked one of the top research schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.

Some of WSU's past patents have been: microprogrammable asynchronous digital controller, electronic animal hoof force detention system, mutated proteins, monoclonal antibodies and veterinary antibiotics.

The highest-ranked cash flowing university was Columbia University, which collected $129,895,000. That is 15 percent of all the revenues from 143 universities in 2001. WSU's figures were not available.