TEC Edmonton’s team has years of experience in moving technology to the marketplace. With this expertise comes lessons learned, and here are the “TEC Tips.”

Talk to TEC Edmonton before you publish. Even publishing an abstract or presentation at a conference can ruin your opportunity to protect your intellectual property. “Even if you are considering an idea, it’s never too early to talk to us,” said Joanna Preston, TEC transfer manager for health sciences.

Patent databases are a good source for state-of-the-art research results and information about advances in industry. Just reading journals or papers on academic research will not necessarily give you the full picture on what research has been done and what the trends are.“Patent databases are free and a good way to find potential partners for industry sponsored research,” Preston said.

Remember that developing a commercial product can take longer than you expect. Even after a major breakthrough in research, it takes time and some applied research before there is a market pull. “Not all opportunities are equal,” said Darrell Petras, TEC transfer manager for physical and environmental sciences. “One software invention might take a year to get into the market and another might take five. Every technology has its own story.”

Seek legal help from TEC Edmonton when making agreements with third parties. When entering into collaborative research, intellectual property can be protected through a simple agreement, either a materials agreement or a confidential disclosure agreement. “Through proper negotiation of agreements, your IP portfolio can be properly protected preserving your publication and IP rights,” Petras said.

Make sure your team is aware of any prior obligations. You are required to tell your research team about any companies you may have partnered with and what your agreements entail. Legal issues around ownership come up when team members are not aware of other claims that a company might have on the research. “When legal issues arise, a company won’t move forward with commercializing a technology until those issues are resolved,” said Jayant Kumar, TEC transfer director. “This can postpone or terminate commercialization.”

There is a lot to consider when planning to commercialize. However, TEC Edmonton will do everything possible to help researchers with their entrepreneurial efforts.

“The researcher fills the technology gap and TEC fills the business gap,” Kumar said.