Technology Transfer

About Tech Transfer

Invention: Something invented; a product of the imagination; a composition of matter, device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment.

The University of Toledo Technology Transfer team works with faculty, staff, and students to help identify the value of basic ideas and inventions and bring these new technologies to the marketplace for the benefit of mankind.

Some inventions are based upon pre-existing models or ideas, and others come from radical breakthroughs, which extend the boundaries of human knowledge or experience. The process of invention is highly creative and exploratory, with outcomes that are often uncertain or unknown.

The first step in the inventive process is the initial idea. Inspiration may start the process, but inventions typically need further development, regardless of how complete the idea seems at first.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to develop and document their ideas and discoveries in order to transform those innovations into technologies that will ultimately improve the human condition.

The University of Toledo continues to make great progress in transferring novel ideas and technologies to the marketplace. A central theme of The University of Toledo’s strategic plan includes translating these inventions to commercial products or services in order to contribute to the revitalization and economic development of the entire region.

In order to ensure that the Technology Transfer team provides UT faculty, staff and students with the best service, we have implemented the following vision and mission statements.

Our vision:Maximize the conversion of university research, scholarship and creative activity into public use in order to improve the human condition.

Our mission:

1.  Support The University of Toledo’s mission to improve the human condition;
2.  Provide accessible, responsive, competent, timely, and professional patenting and licensing services to UT’s faculty, staff, and students;
3.  Serve as an efficient and effective conduit for licensing promising UT technologies to industry to promote their entry into the commercial marketplace while:
         * Attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty and students
         * Increasing and expanding UT’s research  enterprise
         * Creating and reinforcing commercial relationships
         * Generating institutional acclaim and recognition, and
         * Providing an additional revenue stream

4.  Support and encourage local economic development by licensing locally; licensing to start-up companies; and encouraging and supporting faculty start-up activities and favoring licenses to those start-up companies; and
5.  Serve as a resource for information about patents and licensing and encourage recognition that such matters have become meaningful and valuable aspects of academic life and education; and
6.  Facilitate greater integration and increased sponsored research activity between academia and industry to improve the flow of innovative university technologies to the public marketplace.

Last Updated: 9/22/22