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Intellectual Property

What is It?

Researchers are required to disclose their discoveries and inventions arising from research conducted at UWGB. WiSys Technology Foundation serves as the technology transfer organization for the UWGB campus. Faculty, academic staff, and students are encouraged to discuss patent and intellectual property issues with WiSys, the official designated technology transfer office for the UW System Comprehensive Campuses. This independent non-profit supports research and assists UW System campuses by protecting and licensing inventions created by UW System researchers.

Disclosure to WiSys should occur PRIOR to any public disclosure (e.g. oral presentation/slides, manuscript, conference abstract, poster presentation). In the U.S., patent law allows a researcher up to one year to protect their intellectual property; however, in other countries, patent rights are lost immediately upon public disclosure.

UWGB Intellectual Property Guidelines

The role of external sources of support on an invention varies by sponsor. The intellectual property ownership for inventions developed with the assistance of federal funds (e.g., grant award) are generally vested with the faculty and/or staff involved in the project. UW System policy asks that each UW institution requires their principal investigators to disclose intellectual property developed with federal funds to the appropriate internal designee or the appropriate agency in a timely manner. To fulfill this requirement, UWGB principal investigators sign an invention and patent disclosure form as part of the E-transmittal form during the internal review and approval process for submitting proposals for extramural funding.

UW System Patent and Invention Policy

Contact

Brad Ricker
Regional Associate, WiSys
Phone: 608-316-4126
Email: bricker@wisys.org