The Patent Review Committee

Background and Purpose: The Patent Review Committee (PRC) was created in Spring 2001 to utilize resources more efficiently, since there are not enough funds in the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) patent budget to convert all provisional patent applications to “full” U.S. and/or PCT patent applications. The PRC assists the IPO with an assessment of the commercial potential of provisional patent applications not optioned or licensed under agreements that provide for reimbursement of patent expenses. Provisional patent applications for which there are executed option or license agreements are converted to “full” U.S. and/or PCT patent applications and are not submitted to the PRC for review.

PRC Members:

• Assistant Vice President for Research
• Research Deans or representatives from the colleges most active in generating patentable intellectual property (Agricultural Sciences, Earth & Mineral Science, Engineering, Medicine and Science)
• Faculty member at large
• Local businessman/entrepreneur

Review Process:

1. PRC members meet quarterly to review and discuss all available information relevant to the inventions including input from inventors and IPO.

2. PRC members vote on which technologies have the greatest likelihood of becoming a commercial reality based on the guidelines below. The decision does not in any way imply any lack of belief in the value of the invention from a scientific standpoint.

3. Inventors are notified of the PRC assessments.

4. IPO initiates the process of converting selected provisional patent applications to “full” U.S. and/or PCT patent applications based on PRC recommendations and the availability of funds in the IPO patent budget.

5. Inventors are encouraged to discuss with their Technology Licensing Officers options and strategies for managing inventions for provisional patent applications which were not selected.

Inventor Participation: Inventors are encouraged to respond to PRC inquiries and offer input to their college representatives and other members of the PRC so that the commercial potential of their inventions is assessed accurately. Because of the critical importance of inventor participation in commercialization, interest or involvement in the evaluation process is a strong indicator of the likelihood of success.