3 Questions

1. Where do I pick up these forms?

To get the Record of Invention Form or Copyright Disclosure Form, you can either come by our office located in Harborview Tower, or download them from our new website. Below are links to the two forms, but you can also access them through the For Faculty> Faculty Forms area.

Record of Invention (ROI) Form Download

2. At what point after i think of the idea, do I send in an invention disclosure?

There are a number of criteria that we look for when suggesting that a researcher complete and send in the Record of Invention (ROI) form, however in general, we are looking for an idea that is complete and has some kind of proof-of-concept. However, this does not mean we don't receive early stage ideas. If there is any chance that you plan to disclose your idea publicly (send in an abstract, a grant, manuscript, or even talk about your project at a meeting), please let us know ahead of time, so we can evaluate the material and put some type of intellectual property (IP) protection in place. As long as you contact us PRIOR to disclosing your information publically, we will ensure that you will maintain ALL of your IP rights for the future. For specific answers about your research idea, please call our office and ask for Dr. Ryan Fiorini, the commercilization and licensing manager. To contact FRD, please call 843-876-1900 from outside the university or 6-1900 from inside MUSC.

3. Once I send in my ROI form, how long does it take until I will receive an answer?

When we receive your ROI, we immediately begin our analysis for patentability and commercialization. While we shoot to complete the evaluation in 4-6 weeks, there are a number of factors that sometimes lead to a longer time period. However, as noted in our IP policy, we will always get you an answer within 90 days. Keep in mind that during the evaluation period, we are looking at other published works, other similar patents that have been issued, and the likelihood of receiving an issued patent down the road. In addition to evaluation for patentability, we also look at the commercialization side of the technology. We look to see the market size, barriers to entry, industry interest, the consumers need for the novel technology and so on. While all of this takes time, keep in mind we are working as fast as we possibly can.