Review Engagement and Impact
330+
total startups,
all time
$6.2B
collective equity value for U startup companies
787
issued patents, in the past 5 years
The university makes significant economic contributions to the region. The U is the largest employer in the state, with nearly 40,000 employees. Details on the university’s economic contributions to the region are outlined in a 2019 report prepared by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
Academic programs, including more than 100 undergraduate and 90 graduate programs, contribute substantially toward the human capital and workforce development needs of the region. The U’s prominence as a research institution attracts talent to Utah from around the world to engage in top-tier research, where awards reached $641 million in FY2021. University researchers, including one Nobel laureate, have conducted ground-breaking research that led to the first artificial heart, the discovery of over 30 disease-causing genes and pioneering development of the internet. The Office of the Vice President for Research provides additional data points.