Innovator Resources

Transform your research into real-world impact—partner with the Office of Technology Commercialization to protect your ideas, collaborate with industry, and bring your innovations to market.

Researcher reviews work on computer

Tranform your ideas into projects

The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) empowers researchers to take the first step in turning innovative ideas into impactful projects. From protecting intellectual property to identifying market opportunities, our team provides the guidance and resources you need to move your research forward.

Take the first step today by submitting a research disclosure or contacting OTC to explore how we can help you move from concept to reality.

 

Lay the foundation for innovation

Take the first step today by submitting a research disclosure or contacting OTC to explore how we can help you move from concept to reality.

Protect your work

Disclosing your research is the first step in safeguarding the intellectual property you’ve developed as a University of Mississippi researcher. Our office ensures your discoveries are protected and prepared for commercialization while adhering to university policies.

Principal investigators, group coordinators, or project team leaders should take the initiative in reporting a potentially commercializable invention or discovery (intellectual property). 

Early-stage discoveries that show commercial promise can be confidentially discussed with the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) to determine the best steps for further development. This is especially important if a publication, presentation, thesis, or dissertation is planned.

If a patentable invention is identified, the principal investigator, group coordinator, or project leader will be asked to complete a Research Disclosure Form. This form provides the detailed information necessary to evaluate the invention's patentability and commercial potential.

Signed Research Disclosure Forms, along with any draft publications, can be submitted to OTC at 100 Barr Hall. Attaching a draft publication can streamline the process, as it reduces the need to complete every field in the form. This step officially begins the review process to protect and advance your innovation.

Discoveries made by University of Mississippi faculty, staff, and employees are considered university property and should be reported promptly to the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in accordance with the UM Patent and Invention Policy. This process begins by completing and submitting a Research Disclosure Form.

Once submitted, research disclosures are evaluated through the steps outlined in the Research Disclosure Process Flowchart. A critical component of this evaluation is the completion of a patent and literature search. These searches serve two main purposes:

  1. Identify Existing Patents: Determine if a patent has already been filed or issued that claims any part of the disclosed technology.
  2. Review Published Literature: Identify published patent applications or other literature that may describe aspects of the technology.

These searches help identify “prior art,” a key factor in assessing potential patent protection and commercial opportunities.

UM researchers can expedite the evaluation process by conducting initial patent and literature searches and providing relevant references with their disclosure. Your insights into prior art and competing technologies are invaluable in exploring patent protection options and understanding the commercial landscape.

Start your own business

As a researcher, you may want to start a business to bring your innovation to market. By taking an entrepreneurial approach, you gain greater control over how your ideas are developed and commercialized.

We want you to fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of starting your own business so you can make the decision that’s right for you. Of course, the Office of Technology Commercialization is always here to guide you through the process and discuss your options.

On one hand, start-ups can bring your technology to market quickly, create jobs, and boost your innovation’s value through prototypes or proof-of-concept studies. They offer financial opportunities through equity ownership and can support ongoing research by providing new funding streams.

On the other hand, starting a business involves risks, including development challenges and funding requirements. Success depends on having a clear focus, a competitive advantage, and a market large enough to sustain the business.

Company Creation Resources 

Economic Development and Funding Resources

Facility Resources

Guide to the Mississippi University Research Authority (MURA) process

Starting a company as a University of Mississippi faculty member, staff, or student can be an exciting way to further develop university-owned technology.

 

The State of Mississippi supports creating companies based on university technologies to drive economic development. The MURA Act facilitates this by allowing university employees to hold financial interests in private entities that collaborate with the university, provided that all potential conflicts of interest are managed appropriately.

 

Here are the steps to complete the MURA process:

Begin the process by completing the MURA Form, which the OTC Director will help you prepare. This step includes reviewing your business plans, ensuring alignment with university policies, and discussing the licensing of university-owned technology.

Once all required signatures are gathered, the University Chancellor will submit the application to the MURA Board of Directors on your behalf.

The MURA Board will review your application. Upon completion, OTC will notify you of the board’s decision regarding approval.

If approved, you must submit annual reports to the MURA Board detailing company operations and any material changes. OTC staff will contact you each June to assist in preparing these updates. 

Search for patents

By performing a patent search early, you can gain valuable insights into the competitive landscape, avoid potential conflicts, and strengthen your research disclosure.

US Patent and Trademark Office
This site allows you to search both issued patents and published pending applications filed in the United States. It is important to check both areas of the database for a complete prior art evaluation.


World International Property Office (WIPO)
This site allows you to search published international applications, even if not filed in the U.S. All prior art references are relevant during patent prosecution, so it is important to check this site, in addition to the USPTO site.


Google Patent Search
This new function within the Google family of websites allows users to search issued U.S. patents in PDF format. Please note that published pending applications, international applications, and recently issued patents are not available at this time through this site.

PubMed
Service provided by the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health. Integrated search engine with a variety of mechanisms resulting in citations from Medline and other scientific journals.

Commonly asked questions

The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) within the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is responsible for managing the university’s Patents and Inventions Policy – 2008. OTC is a small office and we keep each other informed. Feel free to contact Allyson Best (amilhous@olemiss.edu) at any time to discuss your research. It is never too early to talk to OTC; we are a research service unit here to help at any time.

OTC typically will meet with you to discuss the Research Disclosure Form [LINK NEEDED] to better understand the technology and obtain additional information. OTC may conduct a preliminary patent and/or literature search to supplement information you provided in the disclosure. Once OTC determines the disclosure is ready for review, OTC will initiate a formal review of the disclosure for possible patent filing (OTC Procedure on Filing and Processing Research Disclosures [LINK NEEDED]).

Yes. As long as you work with OTC, seeking a patent to protect a research discovery does not prevent scientific publications or presentations. A draft publication serves as an excellent starting point for drafting a patent application. OTC will work with an outside patent attorney to accommodate planned publishing/presentation dates whenever possible.

An invention is patentable if it is novel, has utility, and is not obvious to others who work in the same field. It must be usable by others who are considered skillful in the field of the invention. OTC consults with external patent counsel to assess patentability. Ultimately, a patent examiner in the United States Patent and Trademark Office (and international equivalents) will determine whether an invention satisfies the above requirements.

Unlike authorship of a publication, inventorship is a matter of law. A patent failing to name the correct inventors may be ruled invalid in court. A lawful inventor is one who makes an inventive contribution to one or more of the claims that are ultimately issued on a patent. Someone whose contribution to the project is limited to providing financial support, or an employee whose contribution to the project is limited to carrying out studies under the direction of an inventor, is not an inventor. (OTC Procedure on Determination of Inventors and Distribution of Licensing Income [LINK NEEDED])

Inventor involvement is very important to the entire patent and licensing process. OTC works closely with the inventors and appreciates their expertise. Inventors are kept informed of the evaluation process and the actions taken, and their input is considered in making decisions about the invention’s protection and licensing. However, final responsibility for such decisions rests with OTC and UM administration.

 

Disclosing a possible invention to OTC is an important part of protecting the rights to your discovery and ensuring the university’s compliance with federal regulations pertaining to federal grants and contracts. OTC has the expertise to manage the patent prosecution and to execute a commercialization strategy. If the technology is licensed, inventors will receive a share of licensing income in accordance with the Patents and Inventions Policy – 2008. OTC’s marketing efforts often lead to new relationships with industry that could result in sponsored research in your laboratory.

 

In accordance with the Patents and Inventions Policy – 2008, UM owns any invention made or developed in the course of UM employees’ educational and research activities. UM also owns any invention made or developed outside an employee’s educational and research activities if the employee used substantial UM resources as defined in the policy. UM employees are required to assign all domestic and foreign rights to UM for any inventions owned by UM unless UM releases the rights to the employee (Reference: OTC Procedure on Release of Rights [LINK NEEDED]).

It depends. OTC will need to ask you some questions to determine the underlying facts. If the decision is made by OTC that the invention does not belong to UM, then you will be free to pursue the technology on your own. OTC will not be able to expend resources on an invention not owned by UM. You could, however, discuss the possibility of assigning your rights to the invention to UM if you wish to work with OTC.

It depends. OTC will need to ask you some questions to determine the underlying facts. In some cases the invention may be owned by your previous employer, in other cases the invention may belong to you and other inventors. OTC will need to know if you plan to continue to work on the invention as a UM employee. If so, OTC may need to negotiate an agreement with your previous employer or the individual inventors.

Research activities sponsored by companies, foundations, other universities and government agencies are covered by agreements that detail the ownership of intellectual property rights. OTC will need to review the agreements in order to decide how to protect the intellectual property rights. Regulations require federal government-funded inventions be reported to the federal agency that made the award. OTC reports such inventions to the funding agency and indicates the government’s rights on patent applications.

It depends on the language in the sponsored research agreement as well as the scope of work. OTC will review the agreements and let you know if the government has rights to any inventions.

OTC coordinates preparation and prosecution of patents for the university. OTC works with state-approved outside patent attorneys, who are selected based of their technical expertise, to prepare and prosecute patent applications on behalf of UM. OTC manages the interface between the patent attorney and the inventor(s). Although OTC’s goal is to reduce the burden on UM employees, preparing a patent application and responding to questions from patent offices around the world requires a significant amount of work by the inventors. The inventors will typically be asked to prepare a draft manuscript in the format of a publication to supplement the information contained in the Research Disclosure Form [LINK NEEDED]. This document serves as the starting point for the outside patent counsel who will convert the document into the style and format of a patent application.

The cost of obtaining a patent depends on many factors, including the complexity of the technology and whether patent protection is being sought internationally or only in the U.S. The costs for prosecuting a U.S. patent application typically range from $15,000 to $50,000. Costs for prosecuting international patent applications in developed countries can add another $100,000 to $200,000. Maintenance fees (paid after a patent issues) add several thousand dollars per patent. UM pays patent expenses for inventions owned by UM unless there is an agreement with a 3rd party to pay the expenses (e.g., in a typical license agreement the company pays patent expenses).

The time it takes to obtain a patent depends on a number of factors including the complexity of the technology and the number of researchers active in the same general field. On average you can expect it to take at least 3 to 4 years, often longer, to obtain a patent in the U.S. Patents may issue faster or slower in other countries depending on the technology.

Contact us with questions

Email our team with general inquires at ored_otc@olemiss.edu, or reach out to us directly:
Allyson Best

Allyson Best

  • Director of Technology Commercialization
Anya Goldman

Anya Goldman

  • Manager of Project Resources
Jerry Martin

Jerry Martin

  • Business Counselor II