The Marketing Process

• Our Marketing Process begins after the faculty member fills out an Invention Disclosure Form relating to their new technology.

• After the Invention Disclosure Form is filled and given back to OTT, we will schedule a meeting with the inventor to gather further information of the technology.
  • It is important to meet with the faculty member because this gives us the opportunity to ask for keywords and a company list. Keywords are essential words that define the technology. They allow us to better identify companies that would have a strong interest in the technology. We also ask for a company list from the faculty member because maybe they have a contact at a company that may aid us in the process of licensing their technology or the inventor may know of companies that would have a great interest in their technology.

• We will then write a Non-Confidential Summary of the technology, describing the invention. Once drafted, we then send it to the faculty member for review along with the company list. We incorporate any changes the faculty member may request and send it back to them for a second review.

• Once a final draft of the Non-Confidential Summary of the technology is approved, we will begin contacting the companies about the new technology. If there is interest, a copy of the NCS is sent to them for review.

• If there is a great interest of the company, we will send any non-confidential information regarding the technology (i.e., any publications available).

• If the company wants to review any confidential information, the company will be required to sign a Confidential Disclosure Agreement. Once executed, we will send the company the patent application relating to the company.

• Then, we will schedule a meeting between the company and the faculty member with the goal of a possible licensing opportunity.

• Throughout the entire process, the faculty member is updated with any feedback from the company.

• We also document all the marketing efforts of the faculty member's technology and kept in a file. All correspondence is kept in the file as well.

• Another important area in which TJU interacts with the industry is through its sharing of research materials under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA). Material Transfer can facilitate company evaluation to determine further licensing interest, or it can benefit company research. A TJU MTA template is available to download to initiate this process.