The Research Partnerships team works with you to transform your research and expertise into innovative products, services, and enterprises, extending your innovation’s reach for societal gain.
Together we will explore how your research can be applied to address present and future community challenges, helping capitalise on opportunities through industry partnerships, licensing to established firms and startups.
Whether you are creating unique technologies, developing them for industrial use, or commercialising the resulting products, there are several essential stages that are important to understand in the commercialisation process
Research and Innovation
Observations and experiments during research activities often lead to innovation and related inventions. As your research progresses, you might be considering if your work has the potential to make a greater impact on society. The Research Partnerships team can help to explore how your research can generate impact. If you believe you have developed IP that has the potential to make a difference for society or simply need advice on how best to maintain accurate and reliable records of your research activities and outputs, please contact us at
research.partnerships@unisq.edu.au.
Pre-Disclosure
It is never too early to let us know about the potential impact of your research. Please contact us the moment you have an invention in mind and complete a Pre-Disclosure form . Together we will explore the potential next steps towards commercialisation including disclosure, evaluation and Intellectual Property protection. While ideally, this process should occur before the innovation is published, presented at a conference, or discussed with external parties, if you are concerned that the innovation may have been disclosed let us know, as we may be able to take appropriate steps to address any related issues.
Invention Disclosure
If you believe that you have a potential invention you will need to . As part of the formal commercialisation process, an invention disclosure is a short document that defines what the invention is, how it works, its advantages and use and identifies who has created and contributed to the IP. However, determining exactly what constitutes an "invention," is not always immediately obvious. Our team will work with you to determine the right time to complete and submit an invention disclosure.
At this stage, we will also begin to explore our ability to protect your invention through patents, copyright or other intellectual property rights, including undertaking a preliminary prior art search to determine the feasibility of a patent.
Assess the commercial potential
When we receive your Invention Disclosure, with your input, our team conducts a thorough y . This assessment considers factors such as potential commercial applications, competitive technologies, feasibility of development, and patentability (if applicable). This evaluation will also guide a potential commercialisation strategy, and together, we’ll decide whether to focus on licensing the invention to an existing company, obtaining additional development funding, or supporting the creation of a new startup.
Intellectual Property Protection
If the assessment determines that there is commercial potential and the intellectual property (IP) appears to be protectable and of value, the Research Partnerships team will collaborate with you to appropriately. While patent protection is a common route, other options include copyright, trade secrets, design rights, plant breeders’ rights, and circuit layout rights.
The drafting, filing, and prosecution of patent applications and other registered forms of IP are typically handled by external patent attorneys. Although these attorneys are familiar with the field of the invention, your active involvement is crucial to ensure adequate protection is in place.
Industry Engagement
In collaboration with you, the Research Partnerships team will conduct market research and identify potential industry partners with the necessary expertise, resources, and business networks to best advance the invention and bring it to market. Your active involvement in preparing information to be presented to industry can significantly enhance the success of this engagement.
Licensing
Regardless of whether the industry partner is an existing company or a startup, the IP rights to your invention will need to be transferred through a license. This process can be time-consuming and sometimes faces challenges due to the significant financial commitments required by potential licensees. These risks may deter potential partners from proceeding.
To mitigate these risks, the university can collaborate with potential licensees to seek funding for the subsequent stages of commercialisation. For instance, programs like AEA Ignite & Innovate can provide various levels of financial support.
Once a license is executed our involvement in the commercialisation process generally concludes, however ongoing administrative activities might be required, including managing IP protection and income, and .
Impact
Every innovation has its own unique commercialisation journey. It might involve ground-breaking technology that disrupts and entire industry or simply enhances an existing product or service. Whether it is a consumer product or part of the business-to-business economy, our ultimate goal is to ensure that your research extends beyond academic papers, conferences, and patents to wider application in society, making a positive contribution to our community, environment, and ourselves