Report an invention
The first step in the technology commercialization process begins with reporting an invention. Through this process, we can record an invention and determine what form of intellectual property is involved.
Types of inventions
If you have discovered something you believe to be unique with possible commercial or public value, then report the invention in writing by submitting an invention disclosure form, or IDF (docx). This form applies to several kinds of discovery and inventions, including:
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Devices, processes, or composition of matter that is useful and unique;
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Creative work (copyrightable works such as surveys, software, or educational tools);
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Software, which can be copyrighted and sometimes patented;
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Biological materials; and
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Plant varieties/germplasms.
Protect your intellectual property
Timely disclosure — BEFORE you make any public disclosures — will help us protect any intellectual property arising from your discovery. Some of the more common methods of public disclosure include:
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Catalogued thesis or dissertation.
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Presentations — discussions, meetings, conferences.
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Abstracts/manuscripts.
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Poster presentations.
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Discussions with companies.
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Information on the internet.
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Grant reports, in some instances.
Public disclosure immediately prevents you from obtaining most foreign patent rights; however, U.S. patent rights remain available within one year of the public disclosure. Therefore, it is important that you provide accurate dates of any prior or upcoming public disclosures to help us evaluate any potential patent protection issues.
Reporting requirements
The university is required to report all inventions made with federal funding to the relevant agency. Please provide details on all federally funded inventions; in particular, we need the agency and the grant number. This will also help us keep you in compliance with K-State IP policies and those of any relevant funding agencies
Please list all other potentially relevant grants, funds, collaborations, or materials received from third parties so that we can do the appropriate reporting to the sponsors.
The invention disclosure form, or IDF, is reviewed by our office to ensure completeness. We may request additional information from you to fully understand the disclosed invention. It is then recorded in our system and assigned a unique disclosure number.