Our process begins with the disclosure of a new idea. The completed Invention Disclosure Form provides us with all the information necessary to properly evaluate, protect and market an invention.

It is important to quickly determine which inventions are patentable and have value in the marketplace. The Triage process provides us with an initial analysis we can use to make decisions about which inventions to pursue, and how vigorously to pursue them.

If the Patent Foundation elects not to pursue an invention, we do not want to prevent the inventors from seeking to patent it on their own. In such instances, we offer the ownership rights to the inventors, so that they are able to continue pursuit of a patent.

Inventions and patent applications go hand-in-hand. If patentable subject matter is identified during initial review, and there is sufficient market potential, a Patent Foundation attorney will file a Provisional Patent Application as an initial step to protect the invention.

The Patent Foundation licenses various works of authorship, the most common form being computer software. In recent years, copyright protection and licensing have become an increasingly important part of our business.

Research tools are generally marketed as tangible research property without any formal patent protection. Though the market size of individual reagents may be limited, it is important to make such materials available to the research community.

The Patent Foundation actively supports and encourages the formation of new faculty ventures. Part of this philosophy includes a willingness to provide faculty start-up companies with licensing preference over larger established companies.

Prior to contacting companies, every licensing professional performs market analysis. Because no good reference exists that teaches an analytical market analysis method, market analysis has been regarded as a 'black art'. By publishing our Operating Manual we are hoping to change that perspective.

Marketing is the rate-limiting step in the technology transfer process. Attention to detail and adherence to a well-planned marketing approach are the keys to success.

The Patent Foundation realizes that many unlicensed inventions may possess commercial value in the future. It is important to rapidly determine which inventions should be considered as candidates for further investment, and which should not.

Because short term costs for protecting an unlicensed invention are great, and our resources are not, we have implemented an objective evaluation process to help us select from among the unlicensed inventions that are candidates for conversion to a regular patent application.

Negotiation is often the most enjoyable and exciting step in our technology transfer process. It is also the step that, without proper preparation and strategy, can get you in the most trouble.

When discussing an invention with a prospective licensee, the Patent Foundation may have the opportunity to "set the hook" with an Option Agreement, which induces the company to make a financial commitment to the invention, thereby increasing the likelihood that a license will result.

Licensing is the culmination of the licensing professional's dedicated marketing efforts. The license agreement that results is the tangible expression of the relationship forged between licensor and licensee.

We believe that one of the characteristics that sets our organization apart from other offices is our attention to monitoring our license agreements. But with the complexity of technology licensing contracts, this step is substantially more difficult than it may seem.