TTO’s Technology Evaluation Process

Our office views technology transfer as a critical component for facilitating and sparking innovation and helping to connect USF with commercial partners in the community and beyond. When faculty or students submit an invention, it moves through our evaluation process. This process is designed to protect, market, and license technologies and other intellectual property with the most commercial promise. 

Once our office receives a new invention disclosure, an analysis of the market and existing prior art is a critical step to our evaluation of the technology. The business analysis support team is comprised of well-trained graduate student interns from both life sciences and engineering who conduct an extensive search for related patents and potential marketability information. The team also prepares a detailed market analysis and valuation comparables to help assess the technology and facilitate licensing and startup discussions. This is a very important step in the tech transfer process to identify commercialization opportunities and challenges. By confirming if it meets the novelty requirements set by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the interns save the inventor time, allowing them to focus more on their research.  

To learn more about our evaluation process and the internship program:  

https://www.usf.edu/news/2023/usf-sees-sharp-rise-in-innovations-and-technology.aspx