Brown University Patent and Invention Policy
Learn more about how Brown manages Intellectual Property.
Brown Technology Innovations
For Faculty & Inventors
Brown Technology Innovations strives to provide faculty and inventors with the resources and support necessary to bring their ideas to impact.
For Faculty & Inventors
Brown Technology Innovations strives to provide faculty and inventors with the resources and support necessary to bring their ideas to impact.
Disclose an Invention
The first step to protecting your innovation is to file an Invention Disclosure. The Invention Disclosure provides BTI with basic information about the invention and helps us assess patentability and commercial potential. We encourage the submission of Invention Disclosures early and often, preferably in advance of any public disclosure.
Disclosure Forms
- BTI’s Invention Disclosure Form [PDF]
- BTI’s Copyright Disclosure Form (for software-based innovations) [Google Doc]
Software-based Innovations
For software-based innovations, we recommend the use of Computer Science’s Copyright Notice.
Engage with Industry
Industry is frequently interested in collaborating with academia- to gain insight into emerging science and technologies, to access talent, equipment, or facilities, and/or to access Brown-developed intellectual property (IP). Each Sponsored Research Agreement or Research Collaboration Agreement is tailored to meet the specific needs of the research it supports, but certain features common to all such agreements ensure that the mission-directed goals of Brown, the academic freedom of its faculty, students and other researchers, and the commercial goals of the for-profit sponsor are respected and fairly balanced.
Contact
Contact us if you have been approached by a potential industry partner, or want to reach out to a potential industry partner.
Start a Company
If you think your research could be the basis for a start-up company, let us help you! BTI has a vast, and constantly growing, network of entrepreneurs, early-stage investors, and other strategic resources that can help to evaluate and ultimately launch your start-up idea.
FAQ
Conflict of Interest Guidance for Faculty and Students Interested in Start-Ups
Translational Research Funding
BBII manages an academic accelerator fund dedicated to supporting academic biomedical technologies--with potential for high impact--to become well-defined product opportunities that are attractive to industry partners and investors.
Additional Information
- Confidentiality Agreements - contact us
- Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) - contact RAC
- Consulting Agreements - Consulting agreements involving faculty or staff are normally between the individual and the third party. Please review Brown’s policies on Engaging in Outside Activities
- Corporate gifts - contact Corporate and Foundation Relations
Commercialization of inventions based on university research is an important way to develop valuable products as well as an effective mechanism to disseminate knowledge gained from basic research. Many products on the market today originated from basic research conducted at universities.
Brown Technology Innovations assists researchers in securing financial support from industry by identifying prospective sponsors and negotiating agreements. Sponsored research agreements generally provide sponsors with certain rights to resulting inventions and to review research results within the project scope and term.
Learn about the updated intellectual property policies at Brown University, including the Patent and Invention Policy and the Copyright Policy, approved and adopted by The Corporation in December 2019 and October 2020 respectively.
Brown Technology Innovations assists faculty with confidentiality agreements (CDAs), enabling investigators to provide confidential or proprietary information to third parties prior to discussing industry sponsored research or technology licensing opportunities.
Any consulting agreements involving faculty or staff would normally be between the individual and the third party.
Research Agreements and Contracting (RAC) assists Brown’s research community with Materials Transfer Agreements (MTAs), enabling investigators to get rapid access to materials and transfer materials to others while ensuring that the parties’ rights are fully protected.