General Instructions for the Office of Technology Management
Invention Disclosure Form

Thank you for disclosing your technology to the Office of Technology Management (OTM).  The Invention Disclosure Form is the first step in a process that could potentially lead to commercialization of your technology.  Completion of the form assists the OTM in two important ways:  

•	First, it serves as a written, dated record of your invention.   
•	Second, it provides the OTM with basic information which helps to evaluate, subsequently protect and potentially commercialize the intellectual property associated with your invention.  

It is not necessary to answer every question in order to submit this disclosure form. If you do not know an answer, if you have any questions, or would like assistance completing the form, please contact the OTM at (217) 333-7862 (Phone); (217) 265-5530 (Fax), or email OTM@uiuc.edu.   

Use the following guidelines while filling out the form: 
•	Provide as much detailed information about the technology as possible, citing all relevant sponsorship and publication information.  This enables the OTM and its outside patent counsel to determine if the technology is patentable as well as identify possible opportunities for commercialization of the technology.
•	When identifying inventors, use the broadest spectrum possible; OTM, assisted by outside patent counsel, will work to determine legal inventorship.

Return the original, signed  Disclosure Form along with any supporting documentation to:
Office of Technology Management
319 Ceramics Building, MC-243
105 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, Illinois  61801-2901
In addition to sending the original to the OTM, please distribute additional copies to:
•	each Inventor
•	Unit Executive Officer(s)

Upon receipt of the completed disclosure form, the OTM will assign it to a technology manager who will arrange a meeting.  The purpose of this meeting will be to acquaint you with the OTM process, gain a more comprehensive understanding of the technology and define next steps. 

1. TITLE OF INVENTION
The title should describe what the invention does, but not how it is made or how it works. 

2.  SEARCH TERMS (up to 10)
The OTM uses the Internet as a research tool when searching databases and markets.  To make our searches efficient, please provide a short list of words, common industry phrases and/or categories.  

3.  BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE INVENTION (3-4 paragraphs)
a)	Provide a short, general layperson’s overview of the invention and how it works.
b)	What is the purpose of the invention?  For example, “What problem does it solve?” 
c)	Is it a new product, process, or composition of matter? Or is it a new use for or improvement to an existing product, process or composition of matter?
d)	What are the features and benefits of the invention?

4.  TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION, DETAILS AND SUPPORTING DATA
Provide results, data or other evidence demonstrating how the invention works.  Any papers or visual material that you may already have, published or unpublished, can be attached as answer to this question.

5.  PRIOR METHODS, APPARATUS, DEVELOPMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS
a)	Provide a complete description of the closest known methods or apparatus in existence and the disadvantages or problems of each that are solved by the present invention.
b)	Cite any of your own publications and patents, and those of anyone else believed by you to disclose ideas most closely related to the invention.  
Please attach all relevant publications, patents, advertisements, etc, if available.

6.  STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT (2-3 paragraphs)
Describe the development status (concept only, laboratory tested, prototype, etc) and briefly indicate what further development may be necessary to commercialize it.

7.  POTENTIAL LICENSEES
Identify companies that you think could benefit from the use of this technology.

8.  PUBLICATIONS/PRESENTATIONS/AND OTHER FORMS OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATION (DISCLOSURE)
Please identify all past and future seminars, talks, abstracts, publications, and web postings describing the invention. These may affect the scope of patent protection and the timing of filing.  Disclosure to Others is the oral, written, or electronic dissemination of the invention to a person outside the University of Illinois that would enable someone working in the field to practice the invention or repeat its development. Note: any communication with colleagues and students within the University of Illinois community do not count as disclosures.

Type of disclosure (i.e. publications, seminars, etc)	Date(s)	

9.  DATES OF CONCEPTION AND REDUCTION TO PRACTICE 
It is important for us to document these dates should any challenges to the patent ever arise.  Conception is the formulation in the mind of the inventors of the ultimate working invention.  Reduction to practice can be accomplished either “actually” or “constructively.”  Actual reduction to practice is the physical creation of the invention.  Constructive reduction to practice is a detailed written description that demonstrates the invention will work as conceived. Describe the circumstances and dates surrounding development of your invention:

	Details	Date	

Conception of invention. Is this date documented in writing? If so, where?

First reduction to practice.

10. SPONSORSHIP
Identify all grants, contracts, and other sources of funds contributing to the research that led to the invention. You should list all agencies that you would acknowledge in a publication.  Be liberal in the interpretation.  The OTM will take care of the contractual reporting obligations associated with your funding.   

Agency or Sponsor	Grant/Contract/Other Number	BANNER/UFAS No.	

			

11. OTHER AGREEMENTS AND INTERACTIONS
Identify any agreements or interactions that you have entered into that are related to the invention and might grant rights to a company or other party outside of the University (material transfer agreements, commercially sponsored research agreements, consortia agreements, consulting agreements, etc.)

Did this invention use any materials which were obtained from a company or another institution?  NO __ YES __ (Please provide details, and indicate if there is a Materials Transfer Agreement.)  

Did you transfer to any researcher outside of your institution any new Materials (DNA, peptides, cell lines, vectors, catalysts, alloys, etc) related to the invention? NO __YES __ (Please provide details)  

12. INVENTORS
List all those who helped contribute to the conception of the ultimate working invention.  The people you include ultimately may or may not be legal inventors.  Please place an asterisk (*) next to the name of the inventor to whom correspondence should be sent.  If any person holds a sole or joint appointment with any other university, company or governmental agency, please note that fact.

INVENTOR:  _________________________________________________	Dept/Affiliation________________________

Home Address:  _______________________________________________	Citizenship:___________________________

INVENTOR:  _________________________________________________	Dept/Affiliation________________________

Home Address:  _______________________________________________	Citizenship:___________________________

(If more, please list on last page.)

The CORRESPONDING INVENTOR should sign and date, along with his/her UNIT EXECUTIVE OFFICER.  (Note: If that inventor is not the head of the laboratory, the signature of his/her faculty advisor or supervisor is required.)

 Corresponding Inventor printed name	Signature(s)	Date	

Unit Executive Officer(s) Printed name & Unit	Signature (s)	Date