Important Update

USC Stevens has transitioned from Wellspring’s Sophia to Inteum’s Minuet database, which affects how online invention disclosures may be submitted to our office. We appreciate your patience as we upgrade our platform to better serve USC inventors.

Weekly Zoom Office Hours (Wednesdays at 10:00 – 11:00 am effective July 2)

To support USC inventors as we transition to the new platform, our office will be hosting weekly Zoom office hours where you can speak with a member of our Technology Commercialization team or our Database Analyst. Please send an e-mail to licensing@stevens.usc.edu to request a Zoom meeting link.

Disclosing Inventions at USC

Woman using laptop

If you are interested in exploring commercialization pathways for inventions or copyrightable works arising from your research, whether through a startup or licensing to an established company, the first step is to submit an invention disclosure to the USC Stevens Center. We will work with you to evaluate the available intellectual property protection options and identify the most promising commercialization pathways.

Innovations developed with federal funding may be subject to the Bayh-Dole Act, which gives universities the opportunity and the responsibility to pursue commercialization on behalf of the public. You can read more about these obligations here. To ensure we can protect your innovation and meet our obligations to federal and other sponsors, we ask that you disclose inventions at least 90 days before a planned publication or public presentation. Early disclosure gives us the best chance to support your work and develop commercialization plans with a strong IP and licensing strategy.

Invention and copyright disclosures can be filed easily and quickly using Inteum’s secure online inventor portal. You are able to log on to Inteum’s inventor portal with your USC NetID and password.

Access Inteum Inventor Portal

Steps in the invention disclosure process are outlined below. You can also refer to our Invention Disclosure Frequently Asked Questions page for additional information.

What If I’m Not Sure I Need to File an Invention or Copyright Disclosure?

If you are not sure whether your invention or copyrightable work should be disclosed, please submit an Inventor Pre-Disclosure Contact Request and a member of the Technology Commercialization team will contact you.

Inventor Pre-Disclosure Contact Request

Steps in the Invention Disclosure Process

1. Submit an Invention Disclosure

USC researchers will be able to disclose their inventions to the Stevens Center using Inteum’s secure online inventor portal, which is accessed using your USC NetID and password. An invention or copyright disclosure typically takes about 30 minutes to complete in Inteum. The basic information needed includes:

  • a list of inventors or creators and their contact information
  • funding source(s), including the grant numbers
  • abstract/description of the invention’s novel features
  • a manuscript draft or a detailed description of the invention/work and any supporting information
  • any information you have about the markets and commercialization potential for your technology

We have assembled guides to walk you through each step of the disclosure process in Inteum’s inventor portal:

2. Assignment to Technology Commercialization Team Member

Once your disclosure has been submitted, it is assigned to a Technology Commercialization team member who will review your disclosure and contact you to set up a time to meet.

3. Finalization of the Submitted Disclosure

After the Technology Commercialization team has reviewed your disclosure and has determined that it captures all necessary information, an email will be sent to all USC inventors and creators with a Royalty Distribution, Assignment, and Cooperation Agreement (“RDACA”) for signatures. Only after signatures from all USC inventors and creators have been received for the RDACA will the status of the disclosure be changed to “Accepted.”

4. Meeting to Review Disclosure

At the disclosure meeting, your Technology Commercialization team member will gather additional information and learn more about your invention or copyrightable work. The Technology Commercialization team will review the disclosure materials to determine whether to file a patent application. The review includes researching the market, identifying competitive technologies, and evaluating the patentability of the invention. The review process at USC is interactive, and our team works closely with the inventors and creators to determine the best path forward for the technology. If a decision to file a patent application has been made, the disclosure materials will be sent to a patent attorney for drafting a provisional patent application.

5. Licensing Process

The period shortly after filing a patent application is an excellent time to license a technology. Copyrightable works may be licensable shortly after the disclosure documents have been accepted, depending on the technology readiness level. See the Learn About the Technology Licensing Process page for more information.