[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 17 (Thursday, February 2, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               HONORING THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 2, 2012

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the National 
Academy of Inventors, which was founded at the University of South 
Florida in Tampa in 2010. Working in collaboration with the university, 
the mission of the National Academy of Inventors is to recognize and 
encourage inventors, add to the visibility of innovation and technology 
stemming from the university, and to educate and encourage innovative 
students to create and patent inventions that are beneficial to all of 
society.
  I am certainly proud of the research under way in my backyard at the 
University of South Florida. More importantly, their efforts are 
training our nation's future researchers and innovators to keep the 
United States on the cutting edge, particularly in the health field. In 
fact, USF was among 14 universities listed in the top 300 organizations 
worldwide to receive patents from the United States Patent and Trade 
Office in 2010.
  Though USF houses the National Academy of Inventors, universities and 
nonprofit research institutions throughout the nation and world are 
also invited to form local chapters, and inventors affiliated with the 
academic community supporting the local chapter, who have had a patent 
issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, are eligible 
to join. Thus far, 29 local chapters have formed.
  I truly applaud the work of the National Academy of Inventors for 
encouraging teachers, faculty, and students to push their research 
efforts and find new and better technology and solutions. I look 
forward to watching them continue to expand and set a national climate 
favorable to the research and entrepreneurship community.

                          ____________________