Patent Assistance Fund Application – UCSD

The technology transfer office is responsible for protecting, managing and licensing intellectual property (IP), including inventions and research materials in life and physical sciences. These assets are supported by the coordinated efforts of a knowledgeable staff with substantial career experience on a variety of technical fronts (from biology to bioengineering and from physics to devices) and years of specific training (PhDs, MBAs, PE, CPA, patent agents) on the research, commercial, business and IP fronts. Innovations are marketed to potential licensees through both broad-reach (e.g. internet postings and monthly newsletters) and targeted approaches (e.g. to specific companies and through personal contacts). By soliciting such external input, the office supplements its own evaluation of the commercial potential of IP with feedback from those commercial entities who would be likely to license the IP for development. Because patent protection is necessary in the biomedical field to encourage a company to invest in product development, initial university support of patent applications is critical. Once an invention is licensed, the office works with its commercial partner to craft strong patent claims designed to protect the products under development. The combination of evaluation by an experienced internal team with assessment by potential licensees provides the broadest means by which to gauge and monitor the commercial potential of CIRM-sponsored IP.