Protecting the intellectual property (IP) arising from research helps ensure that promising discoveries are not lost before they have an opportunity to be developed and applied. Early IP protection can preserve opportunities for patenting, commercialization, licensing and industry partnerships, while also recognizing and safeguarding the contributions of researchers and the university.
If you wish to pursue a patent or intellectual property protection, commercialize an invention, you need to complete and submit a disclosure form that documents a specific invention. This should be done as early as possible — preferably before public disclosure (such as journal publication, conference presentation, discussion with external collaborators) which can limit patentability and commercialization opportunities.
Disclose your innovation
The completed Invention Disclosure Form will trigger an evaluation of commercial potential. The review and process of new disclosures can take 30 days. If Queen’s makes an offer to commercialize your invention, an Intellectual Property Agreement will be used as a starting point to discuss a commercialization project.
Disclose your inventionWhat happens after an invention disclosure
Disclosing an invention to Queen's Commercialization and Ventures does not prevent you from publishing. However, to preserve world-wide patent rights for your invention a patent application should be filed before public presentations or publications.
After submission, our team will:
- Evaluate the invention’s novelty, commercial potential, and patentability
- Assist you to find funding and industry partnership opportunities
- Help determine the best path forward, including patenting, licensing, or startup formation, if any are applicable
Invention ownership after disclosure
According to the Queen’s Intellectual Property (IP) Commercialization Policy, all IP wholly or partially created by a researcher(s) and/or student(s), in the course of their employment by the university and/or with use of university facilities, shall be owned by the researcher(s) and/or student(s) who creates it, unless the researcher(s)/student(s) have agreed to an alternative arrangement by written contract.
In the event that the inventor(s) and Queen’s (through the Vice-Principal Research and Innovation Portfolio) enter into an agreement to protect and commercialize an invention, ownership of the invention shall be transferred to Queen’s University. Future proceeds from commercialization of the technologies would be shared between the inventors and the university.
Questions? Talk to our team
The Commercialization and Ventures team has patent agents and other staff members who can provide advice on patentability, commercialization, and other intellectual property (IP) matters. They are responsible for drafting, filing, and prosecuting patent applications, managing patent portfolios, and providing strategies for intellectual property protection.