How does university technology transfer work and what do universities license?
The major steps in technology transfer are: disclosure of inventions; record keeping and management; evaluation and marketing; patent prosecution; negotiation and drafting of license agreements; and management of active licences. University technology transfer in mainly a system of disclosure, patenting, licensing and enforcement of patents and licenses. The disclosure document contains information about the invention, the inventors, the funding sources, anticipated bars and patenting (such as publications), and other data (such as likely candidates for licensing). The disclosure is reviewed by the licensing staff or a university committee, who make a preliminary decision about ownership and the invention’s potential commercial value and patentability. The technology transfer office takes action to insure that the newly disclosed intellectual property will be handled in compliance with the federal and university policies. The next step is to seek an opinion on the patentability of the
