You should contact the Office of Technology Development when you have conceived of a novel invention, technique, or any form of intellectual property before disclosing at a public scientific meeting.
When the OTD receives invention disclosures, each is evaluated for commercialization potential. We encourage faculty, fellows, students and staff to develop and disclose any potential intellectual property as soon as possible.
The first step is to submit an IP disclosure form to the OTD. This disclosure form can be used for patentable and copyrightable inventions, techniques or know-how, software, or biological materials. Once a completed IP disclosure form is received by the OTD, the evaluation process begins.
Upon receiving a completed disclosure form, a staff member from the OTD will schedule a disclosure meeting. Sometimes the meeting schedule will need to be expedited because a public disclosure or publication of the discovery is imminent. The OTD needs to be informed about all impending deadlines.