The following questions and answers, based on information from Australian and International universities provide a broad overview of the commercialisation process for research academics

It is not UTAS policy, rather a document to provide guidance when planning or undertaking research in the university environment. ROCU staff are happy to assist with any questions you may have and can be contacted on x7135.

1. What is a commercialisation opportunity?

A commercialisation opportunity could be a new and useful process or product that has unique features and real advantages for an end user. Some times the simplest advances have significant commercial value; similarly, a more complex discovery may have limited practical applications in the marketplace. Commercialisation opportunities are in practice the partnership of the creation of intellectual property, with a sponsor that identifies a material value in the work.

2. What are the limitations in publishing my work?

While there are no limitations in publishing new research work per se, presenting work in the public domain through publishing, conference papers, posters and presentations or even discussion with peers or industry without an NDA can void the ability to patent the discovery. Patenting an invention and licensing it with some exclusivity creates a favourable position from which to create value and proprietal ownership of your work, enabling a supply and demand situation to occur . Once a discovery is in the public domain and unable to be protected, its potential may never be commercially developed. Often the work may be presented with the omission of the critical commercial element, which routinely only forms a small part of the overall body of research. The UTAS research office will work with you to determine if your project has commercial applications and assist in protecting your ideas through the appropriate patent.

3. Why can't I commercialise it myself?

The UTAS research office commercialisation team recognizes that specific deep expertise leads to great discoveries and research outputs. While you have the expertise in your field, we have lots of expertise in the commercialisation process and are here to guide you along the commercialisation pipeline to ensure that your work is protected and has the best opportunities to make a difference on a local and global stage. As stated in the UTAS IP Policy, the University asserts ownership of IP by university staff created in the course of their employment, and this relationship between you, the university and the IP of your work is an important part of the negotiation of the commercialisation of your work as undertaken by the UTAS Business Manager on your behalf. As a University employee, you have a responsibility to disclose your research discoveries to the University. The Research Office commercialisation arm can give you quick, free advice on the patentability of your work, and whether it has commercial value. We're here to protect your interests and those of the University.

4. When should I contact the Research Office commercialisation arm?

The commercialisation arm of the Research Office is set up as a service to all research academics and students at UTAS, and looks forward to working with you at the earliest opportunity when you have identified research that you think has potential in the commercial domain. The Business Manager encourages contact and discussion around your work, and understands that research can take a number of years and change dramatically from its original intention. As part of the services we offer at the Research Office commercial arm, training in commercialisation skills are available for any university employees or students who need to understand the process and develop their skills.

Remember that early contact can prevent your research outcomes being released to the public domain and inadvertently limiting your capacity to patent your discovery. So before you submit an abstract for a conference or prepare a manuscript for a journal, call us or drop in to the ROCU Office (which is Building 18, located above the Staff Club) for a chat with the Business Manager and our legal, financial and research officer team.