University Times

The Office of Technology Management — coordinator of the commercialization of Pitt innovations — has launched an innovation of its own.

As part of its mission to encourage faculty, staff and students to participate in the process of patenting and commercializing innovations developed here, OTM recently published its new Pitt Innovator’s Guide to Technology Commercialization.

The 36-page booklet explains the basics of what qualifies as an invention — including practical considerations for what it takes to have commercial potential — and offers tips on how to protect intellectual property.

In straightforward style, it guides the reader through Pitt’s commercialization process, outlining how the University decides which innovations have commercial value and what inventors and their academic departments can gain from successfully licensed innovations. The booklet also offers advice on best practices that stand to benefit a broader segment of the University community, such as tips on what information should be included in laboratory notebooks and how the notebooks should be maintained.

The new guide takes the place of OTM’s outdated and less reader-friendly Inventor’s Handbook, which fell into disuse several years ago. The booklet will be updated periodically as intellectual property law and University policies and procedures change, said Marc Malandro, associate vice chancellor for Technology Management and Commercialization.

Malandro said the aim in putting together the primer was to outline what needs to be done and to call attention to pitfalls to look out for when commercializing University technologies. “A lot of policies come to bear, a lot of procedures come to bear. We abstracted the important parts to say, ‘Here’s what you can expect if you go down this pathway,’” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to pick out the applicable parts from policy documents. We’re not creating anything new, just making it more accessible.”

As the idea of translating research into commercial products that benefit patients is built into grant mechanisms more often, faculty are becoming more savvy, Malandro noted. “For the past several years, faculty have become adept at the idea of intellectual property and thinking ahead,” he said, adding that initiatives such as the National Institutes of Health clinical and translational science awards and T-1 grants have translational components.

Not all commercializable innovations are related to the health sciences. Malandro noted that the Learning Research and Development Center is among the most productive groups within the University in terms of licensing. Copyrighting intellectual property also is covered in the new handbook.

Malandro said the guide is part of OTM’s internal outreach to faculty and other innovators, as are workshops offered on academic entrepreneurship, intellectual property or the “Benchtop to Bedside” program aimed at guiding scientific research into the marketplace to benefit patients.

“This is another piece of the puzzle,” Malandro said, adding that OTM wants to make faculty aware of the assistance the office can offer.

“Even if you don’t want to be part of the commercialization pathway, that’s fine — you can benefit from OTM programs and become a better-informed researcher.”

Trust must be developed between the innovators and OTM, he said. “Us doing it alone or them doing it alone really isn’t going to work,” he said. “The earlier we form that partnership, even at the innovation disclosure stage, makes for a better experience for all involved.”

OTM strategic relations manager Daniel Bates said the goal is to make the guide available to as many faculty, staff and students as possible to encourage increased participation in technology commercialization. The office makes presentations to University departments and as part of new faculty orientations, typically reaching 15-20 departments and centers each year, he said.

The guide is available in print and online formats. The electronic version can be accessed by clicking on “Resources & Education” at www.otm.pitt.edu.

—Kimberly K. Barlow