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A comprehensive national report on more than 30 years of patents shows that while the Gulf Coast isn't Silicon Valley, there's still hope.
The report, “Patenting Prosperity: Invention and Economic Performance in the United States and its Metropolitan Areas” studied patenting trends in 358 metro areas from 1980 to 2012. The Brookings Institute, a private nonprofit research and policy group, produced the report.
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater is the clear leader in the region. The area had a five-year average of 433 patents approved from 2007 to 2011, which was good for 51st in the country. The entities that led the way in the region with the most patents in 2011 were the University of South Florida, with 88; Baxter International, with 78; Honeywell International, with 30; and the Nielson Co., with 22.
The North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region ranked 108th in the country with a five-year average of 116 patents, the report shows. One standout patent producer in that region, the report states, is Nantero Inc., a semiconductor and nanotechnology firm with a headquarters in Woburn, Mass., a Boston suburb.
The Cape Coral-Fort Myers region, with a five-year average of 62 patents, placed 152nd in the country. The region to the south of Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Naples-Marco Island, placed 184th, with a five-year average of 39.
Prominent Naples-based medical device manufacturer Arthex, was granted 22 patents in 2011, the report shows, which was tops in both Fort Myers and Naples. While some companies and entities on the list are based locally, others are global firms with offices in the region. For example, IBM, the national leader in patents, with 5,020 from 2007 to 2012, was granted 22 patents on the Gulf Coast in 2011, according to the report.
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