Faculty Resources
Let’s say you are a faculty or staff member at The University of Tennessee, and you think you have a great idea that can be turned into a product or service that will benefit the public. How do you go about doing that? These links will give you an overview of the “technology transfer” process and will guide you through the necessary steps.
What is “technology transfer”?
It is a process to move knowledge and inventions from UT to an external partner who will create products and services for public benefit. For viable inventions, our goal is to find a partner that:
- Is strongly committed to turning the invention into a marketed product.
- Has financial and personnel resources that can develop, manufacture and sell the product.
- Is willing to pay the university a fair price for the invention.
What are the benefits?
- It turns research into products or services designed to benefit society
- It generates revenue for:
- The university
- The sponsoring department
- The individual inventors
- It also expands future federal funding opportunities for the inventor
- It provides access to industry resources:
- Private or federal funding of research tied to specific interest areas
- Novel technology or equipment that isn’t available on campus
- Expanded opportunities for graduate student training
- It promotes economic growth:
- Potential for new company formation in the region
- New jobs for graduates
