Technology commercialization turns signficant discoveries into new products, services, and companies. If you’re an Indiana University faculty or staff member with a discovery that you think has commercial potential, the university’s technology commercialization experts are here to help you navigate the process of bringing it to market.
Move your research out of the lab and into the marketplace
Contact us
Contact the Innovation and Commercialization Office.
Getting started
IU’s Innovation and Commercialization Office (ICO) will be your guide through the commercialization process. You’ll work with an ICO innovation and commercialization expert to assess whether your discovery has commercial potential and to determine the best path forward.
1. Disclose your discovery
The first step in the commercialization process is to submit an innovation disclosure to ICO, where an innovation and commercialization manager will review it and assess your discovery’s commercial potential. The results of the assessment will determine the next steps in the process.
Learn how to submit an innovation disclosure2. Protect your intellectual property
If ICO’s assessment determines that your discovery has commercial potential, the next step is to secure legal protection for it. Intellectual property is protected by law in two primary ways: patents and copyrights. The IU Intellectual Property Policy governs ownership of patents and copyrights created at IU.
Learn about protecting intellectual property3. Bring your discovery to market
After you’ve secured legal protection for your discovery, you have a couple of options for bringing it to market.
Licensing
A licensing agreement allows you to grant the rights to your intellectual property to a third party—without relinquishing ownership—in exchange for financial and other benefits.
Learn about licensingStarting your own company
If your discovery is too early in development to attract interest from industry, or if you want input on its further development, you may want to explore creating your own entity and working toward commercialization of your research.
Learn about starting a company