For Inventors
What We Do
The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) is responsible for managing the intellectual property assets of the University of Rochester. Our mission is to help turn scientific progress into tangible products for the betterment of society, i.e. to "transfer technology" from the researcher to the end-user. In the process of doing so, we attempt to generate revenue to support further research and to share with the inventors.
There are a number of ways to do this. At OTT, we license intellectual property to existing companies; facilitate the creation of new companies; work with publishers and distributors of software; and support the transfer of knowledge and know-how to other universities, research agencies, and industrial partners.
We serve as a conduit to take excellent science out of the laboratory and to deliver it to the world. We can't do this alone, however. We depend upon your help and active participation in the process. Your questions and ideas are always welcome. Please feel free to contact us at any time, either by telephone, e-mail, or (our favorite) by dropping by one of our offices. See our Where We Are page, or give us a call for office hours and locations.
Policies
- University Policy on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (browsable version)
- Intellectual Property Policy (printable version)
- University of Rochester's official view on Conflicts of Interest
- Faculty Policy on Conflict of Commitment and Interest (browsable version)
- Conflict of Interest Policy (printable version)
Processes
Disclosure Forms
Invention Disclosure Form
A document that embodies the date of conception of, a complete description of, and all potential contributors to an invention being disclosed to the University of Rochester.
Copyright Disclosure Form
A document that embodies the date of creation of, a complete description of, and all potential contributors to a copyrightable work being disclosed to the University of Rochester.
Software Copyright Disclosure Form
A document that embodies the date of creation of, a complete description of, and all potential contributors to a copyrightable computer soft-ware program being dis-closed to the University of Rochester.