M&C Technology Transfer Information

Proprietary Information: Be aware of and follow ORNL requirements for receiving, handling, and disposing of proprietary information and the use of Non Disclosure Agreements. Please contact Roxanne Raschke (574-6094) if you have any questions concerning the handling and management of PI.

MST Division Invention Disclosure information: Please log onto the IDEAS (Invention Disclosure Electronic Applications System) web page and complete all required information. Although there is no longer a formal division review of the invention disclosures, the division is notified and will review the documents as appropriate. Please make sure that your supervisor and division management are cognizant of your submittal.

UT-Battelle Technology Maturation Funding: Corporate royalty funds are available through an annual lab-wide call for proposals. The purpose of Maturation Funding is to provide resources that significantly increase the likelihood of commercialization of ORNL intellectual property. Proposals should be submitted to Vinod Sikka, Manager, Research and Technology Development, who will coordinate the MST Division Review.

Eligibility
Any ORNL staff member who has had interactions with TTED via the invention disclosure and patenting or copyright process is eligible to submit a proposal for the maturation of their already-disclosed intellectual property. Postdoctoral research associates may participate as co-investigators but are not eligible to lead a project as principal investigator.

Proposals will be evaluated on the following specific criteria:

1. Demonstrated Path to Commercialization
The request for funding should be sufficient to achieve a measurable milestone in the commercialization process. The types of activities which will be selected for Maturation Funding will be those that will advance the intellectual property or technology to a state where it will be able to be licensed to a commercial entity. In most cases, this funding should be the last resource expended that will result in a license to an outside entity that could not have otherwise been achieved. These activities might include: prototype development, field testing, generation of data that would be suitable to show prospective licensees, and generation of samples. In addition to a final report, which will be required of all awardees, tangible deliverables will also be required to be submitted as the outcome for tasks mentioned above, such as data reports, prototypes which have been developed, etc. Proposals for the purpose of equipment purchase will be ranked lower than proposals that outline other tasks as listed above.

2. Relationship to Existing Intellectual Property
Proposed projects should involve Intellectual Property that has already resulted in a patent(s), patent application(s), or copyright, and these items should be referenced as part of your proposal. Preference will be given to proposals that involve IP (technologies or improvements) which are less than 5 years old.

3. Technical Merit of the Project
Please explain the technical merit of your project in a way that your colleagues (who may be from different disciplines) can appreciate your technical approach and the distinctive competitive advantage achieved through this approach. Please note that the focus of this proposal should be market and commercialization outcomes, not technical detail.