FOR INVENTORS
If you think you have an innovation with commercial potential, here is a general overview of what to do, and what you can expect with HSU's process.

Steps:

  1. Contact the Office for Economic and Community Development (OECD).  The OECD Executive Director will discuss the invention with the inventor and make a preliminary evaluation of production/delivery feasibility, novelty, potential applications, and possible markets.  A preliminary commercialization strategy will be developed.
    Note: The OECD Executive Director will sign a non-disclosure agreement if the inventor so desires. A non-disclosure agreement binding the University as a whole must be signed by the Dean of Research & Graduate Studies.
  2. If University resources have been used, or the inventor has created the intellectual property in the course of their direct scope of work for the University, the inventor will fill out an Intellectual Property Disclosure form, (contact the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for a copy of the form ).
  3. If the invention was developed during the course of a scope of work funded by a grant, or as an employee of the HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation, the steps outlined in the Sponsored Programs Foundation policy on intellectual property will also be completed.
  4. The Inventor, the OECD Executive Director, the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, the Director of HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation, and the Office of the President will discuss appropriate intellectual property protection strategies.
  5. The Inventor, the OECD Executive Director, the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies, the Director of HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation, and the Office of the President will discuss the appropriate next steps towards commercialization. For some projects this may mean seeking funding for the further development and/or demonstration of the invention. For other projects, especially those advanced in their development, the identification and soliciting of commercialization partners from industry may be the appropriate next step.
  6. HSU's Intellectual Property Policy is under revision. Current policy stipulates that HSU will maintain ownership of intellectual property and the income received will be distributed between the inventor, the office of the respective vice-president, and the Office of the President. For questions about ownership, royalties, and income distribution, contact the Dean of Research and Graduate Studies