Jul.25 (Xinhua) -- The University of California, with 489 U.S. utility patents in 2015, ranked first in the world among universities granted the patents of the kind.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was the second on the list with 278 utility patents and Stanford University the third with 205 patents, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and the Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO).

Tsinghua University of Beijing, China ranked 5th with 184 U.S. utility patents and Korea Institute of Science and technology was the 12th with 105 patents.

UC has been No. 1 on the list, known as Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents, since the NAI started publishing rankings of university patent holders in 2013. As of June 2016, the university had a total of 4,760 active U.S. patents.

"This ranking underscores the University of California's pioneering culture and entrepreneurial spirit," Christine Gulbranson, UC's senior vice president for research innovation and entrepreneurship, was quoted as saying in a release from the UC Office of President.

"We're pleased to be recognized as a leader in the development and practical application of new knowledge for the benefit of society and beyond."

In addition, UC claims to be the leading university patent owner and among the top 100 global patent holders, an elite group that includes IBM, Boeing, Siemens and Qualcomm, for more than two decades.

The UC system averages nearly five inventions a day, rivaling many of the world's top technology companies.