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February 19, 2009, 12:45 PM ET
For Academic Inventors, a Way to Trust, but Verify
Orlando — Sure, it’s an exaggeration to say that all academic inventors think that their university technology-transfer offices don’t do enough pitching to get their inventions into commercial use, or that all tech-transfer folks think academics have an unrealistic (read: inflated) view of how attractive their inventions might be to companies and investors.
But that problem does often hang over such enterprises. And even under the best of circumstances, few would disagree that it would be better all around if researchers were better informed about how their inventions are being handled once they are disclosed to the university.
The backers of a Cornell University Web tool dubbed MyIP could go a long way toward closing that information gap.
The portal allows inventors who have reported inventions to the university to track the status of patenting and licensing activity on their ideas by simply logging into their accounts, even after business hours. It’s a tool “to increase faculty trust and satisfaction,” says Doug Hexter, a partner in the software-design firm that helped devise the portal. He described the idea here last week at the Association of University Technology Managers’ annual meeting.
Alan Paau, Cornell University’s vice provost for technology transfer and economic development, says the system, which has been in place since July 2007, also benefits the tech-transfer office at Cornell because staff members now spend less time answering questions from inventors.
Mr. Paau said the idea grew out of a similar one he had instituted while working at the University of California at San Diego and was prompted by a desire to provide better service. The system has proved especially helpful to Cornell, which has a far-flung network of inventors — including former employees and those who work at its medical schools in New York City and Qatar.
The portal, developed with World Design Group, draws its information from the in-house database maintained by Cornell’s technology-transfer office. About 2,000 of Cornell’s 7,000 inventors have established accounts on the site.
And yes, like the thousands of inventions in its portfolio, Cornell says the MyIP portal is available for licensing.
—Goldie Blumenstyk
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