Disclose an Invention

Stanford faculty, staff and students can submit an Invention and Technology Disclosure through the Researcher Portal on the Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) website. The disclosure should fully describe the new aspects of the invention, including the critical solution it provides and its advantages and benefits over current technologies.

To preserve patent rights, inventors should disclose technologies before publications or presentations describing the invention are available outside the University. It is also critical that inventors note the date of any previous or upcoming publication or other public disclosure describing the invention. Shortly after the Invention and Technology Disclosure is submitted an OTL licensing specialist will contact the inventors to discuss the technology and its commercial potential.

OTL logs in all disclosures it receives, assigns a docket number, and assigns each one to a specific associate, who is then responsible for all actions relating to the docket. An OTL associate will meet with the inventor(s) to discuss the invention and make a preliminary evaluation of manufacturing feasibility, novelty, potential applications, and possible markets, using the Invention Evaluation Worksheet as a guide to develop a preliminary licensing strategy.

Finally, the inventor must complete an online disclosure form.