The technology transfer process begins when you submit a confidential Invention Disclosure Form to UMKC's Office of Technology Transfer.

The disclosure will describe your invention, the people involved, any sponsors of your research, prior publications or public descriptions of the invention, commercial contacts, and any potential conflicts of interest you may have with commercial contacts. The information you provide will allow us to determine the commercial potential of your discovery and what legal protections, if any, are needed.

Once your disclosure is complete:

1. Email your Invention Disclosure Form, AND
2. Print, sign, and mail your disclosure to: Manager, UMKC Office of Technology Transfer 4747 Troost Avenue, Room 120 Kansas City, MO 64110-2499

To help facilitate easier communication with our office, the UMKC Office of Technology Transfer has developed an online Invention Report Form. The Invention Report Form does not replace the Invention Disclosure Form described above, but is instead meant to be a quicker and simpler method for researchers to begin the process of filling out a formal Invention Disclosure Form with the help of our office.

If you are not sure whether your discovery qualifies as an invention, if the university has rights to your discovery, if it’s patentable, or what its commercial applications may be, contact the Office of Technology Transfer.

Talk to the Office of Technology Transfer Early

Once you publish, or publicly disclose, your discovery, you lose foreign patent rights and have just one year to file a patent in the United States.

• What constitutes public disclosure

However, seeking a patent does not preclude publication of research results, and, in most cases, does not delay publishing. To retain the potential for foreign patents, a U.S. patent application must be filed before any description of the invention is publicly disclosed.

Next>> Evaluation

The disclosure evaluation process may take anywhere from a week to three months, and possibly longer, depending on the complexity of the invention and the target industry.

• Invention Evaluation Flowchart