Dhahran, June 11, 2019, SPA -- King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) ranked fourth in the world, in 2018, according to the annual ranking of the US National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners for universities, in terms of the number of patents registered in the United States. It is noteworthy that KFUPM has ranked 6th, in 2017. The National Academy of Inventors and the Association of Intellectual Property Owners published its 7th annual report on trends, in academic patents, Tampa, Florida, in June 2019, and announced the top 100 universities, in the world, that were granted US patents, in 2018, followed by a preparation of the report using data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which highlights the vital role of patents, in university research and innovation. Only three US universities: the University of California, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University have managed to rank first, second and third, respectively, and directly before KFUPM. -- SPA 19:35 LOCAL TIME 16:35 GMT 0024 www.spa.gov.sa/w1117736