Proof that the patent field is booming: this spring the US Patent and Trademark Office is opening a brand new branch in Detroit! The office opens this July in a historic riverfront building and will provide over 100 new high-paying positions, a number that could expand over time if the new Regional Patent Office model proves successful.

The new Detroit office is just the beginning—the USPTO has engaged in President Obama’s Nationwide Workforce Program, and plans to hire more patent examiners and seek out additional technical expertise in locations across the country. There’s an apparent backlog of patent applications in Washington, and several more regional offices are slated to open up around the country to remedy the situation. That’s good news for new patent professionals—who’ll now be able to take their pick of location!

Detroit was singled out for the first phase due to the high percentage of scientists and engineers in the workforce, access to major research universities, and a high volume of patenting activity in the area. It seems cars aren’t the only thing that’s “imported from Detroit”—the city is a wellspring of newfound innovation and vitality.

And if that wasn’t enough, here’s a fun fact: not only does the state of Michigan rank 7th in patents issued in the United States, but if Michigan were a country, it would rank 9th in the world.

Director of the USPTO, David Kappos, says the regional expansion outside Washington is “part of our ongoing effort to recruit and retain the nation’s top professionals.” Will you be among them? Apply to Notre Dame’s Masters in Patent Law and be a part of the country’s resurgence of invention and innovation!