Disclosure

Invention Disclosure Form 

Baylor University researchers are encouraged to disclose any invention, discovery, advancement, or innovation that they feel may address a larger societal issue or have commercial potential to the Office of Innovation & Economic Development. Researchers may disclose an invention to the Office of Innovation & Economic Development by submitting an Invention Disclosure Form (IDF). 

Disclosure is an essential step in the university technology transfer process. It is vital that inventors submit a completed disclosure form to the Office of Innovation & Economic Development so that the office can protect and market the invention appropriately. By submitting this form, inventors begin the technology transfer process that could lead to an invention being commercialized. It is best practice to submit an invention disclosure form prior to publicly disclosing the invention in conference presentations or publications so that the Office of Innovation & Economic Development can work to develop a plan to protect the invention. 

In the invention disclosure form inventors are asked to provide basic information about the invention itself including the title of the invention, the contact information of the inventor(s), and an abstract that summarizes the invention without disclosing confidential information. Inventorship for patented intellectual property differs from scientific authorship and is defined by law as a person who contributes to the conception of the invention. When completing the invention disclosure, inventors are also asked to provide information on funding and prior agreements related to the invention as well as any prior or upcoming public disclosures (including conference presentations and publications) that relate to the invention. Importantly, inventors are also asked to provide information on any companies that may be interested or have expressed interest in the invention as well as any known competitors or products that include similar inventions. Typically, the most successful technology commercialization leads come from inventors because they are experts in their fields and familiar with ongoing, related work.

Inventors can download the disclosure form here and should email the completed form to TCIE@baylor.edu. Inventors are encouraged to reach out to John Crandall or Sarah Anderson with any questions related to completing a disclosure form. After receiving an invention disclosure form, the Office of Innovation & Economic Development will contact the inventor(s) to schedule a meeting with the goals of gathering supplemental information related to the invention and answering any questions the inventor(s) may have about the technology transfer process at Baylor University.