Know When to Disclose

Why is it important to disclose your discovery to the OTT?

• It provides the OTT with the basic information to determine if the discovery has commercial potential.
• It allows for us to provide this information to our patent attorneys.
• It provides a dated record of your discovery.

If you disclose the discovery prior to having a provisional or utility patent in place, you will lose all foreign patent rights.

Know when to Disclose a Discovery

A discovery is anything that was created in your course of work at the University or through the use of University resources. For example, a discovery can be any one or more of the following: New compound or chemical entity, new or improved medical device, diagnostic, software, research tool, new use for a known drug, new method of making a compound, new nucleic acid sequence/probe/reagent, it solves a significant problem, has significant value or is a thesis. The discovery does not need to be market ready.

When in doubt, disclose to the OTT.

• Does the discovery have a clear concept?
• Are you planning to discuss this with any third parties?
• Has a manuscript been submitted for publication?
• Will the discovery be disclosed through a conference?
• Will the discovery be covered in a poster session (even if at RFU)?
• Will the discovery be covered in a lecture or presentation?
• Are any public disclosures expected in next 3-6 months?
• Does the discovery have to be disclosed to a research partner? (i.e., funding organization, industry, or another researcher)
• Has the discovery been shown or enabled by experiments, data, or results with any significance?

How to disclose

Complete instructions on how to fill out and submit the disclosure are on the form. In any case, submit an invention disclosure at least 60 days before publishing or presenting the invention.

For more information email: dora.espinosa@rosalindfranklin.edu
Dora G. Espinosa, MBA
Director of Sponsored Research and Technology Transfer,
Associate Vice President for Research Administration and Technology Transfer
847-578-8524