Thirty eight faculty across the University of Oklahoma received 26 patents in FY23. More than 50 total patents have been issued to OU faculty since John Hanak, chief innovation and corporate officer and executive director of the Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships, joined the university in 2021. His office continues to focus on simplifying the patent process and providing resources to inventors across all three campuses.
“The real test of the validity of a technology resides in the market’s acceptance and its real-world impact,” Hanak said. “In addition to the ongoing process of disclosure simplification, we want to be sure we’re supporting our researchers through the patent and business value articulation process. That is why we have enhanced our iPath and Growth Fund offerings. Value delivered there will ultimately create value in the other important areas we support, namely, licensing and startup creation – including funding.”
The Office of Technology Commercialization receives an average of about 60 new invention disclosures across OU per year. About half of these result in the filing of a patent application, and about half of those eventually result in an issued patent.
“A common misconception is that if an investigator files an invention disclosure with us, we will hinder the ability of the investigator to publish their research,” Chris Corbett, director of intellectual property with the Office of Technology Commercialization, said. “But, in fact, we make every effort to work in tandem with inventors so that the patenting process can go forward without affecting the timing of the publication of research results. Both processes can proceed simultaneously.”
Since the implementation of the Lead On, University Strategic Plan, OU has committed to creating economic development in the Norman and Oklahoma City communities by growing the number of OU technology-based start-up companies and attracting angel investors and venture capital to the region to incubate and accelerate these start-ups in the Discovery and Innovation District.
Learn more about the Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships’ iPath program and the Office of Technology Commercialization’s Growth Fund.
