Forms
All forms must be signed by a university representative in order to be executed. Please do not sign agreements yourself. These documents will NOT be considered legally binding if you do so, and you run the risk of losing rights to your intellectual property. If you are unsure who the proper representative is, please contact the Innovation Institute at 412-648-2206 .
Invention Disclosures (ID)
You should submit an invention disclosure as early as possible once you’ve established that you have an innovation with commercial potential. Here are instructions on the invention disclosure online submission process. Click here to submit your invention disclosure.
Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA)
Used when proprietary information on a university technology is disclosed to another party. This would include any information on the technology that is not yet in the public domain through a patent or publication. It is very important to have one of the following agreements in place before confidential proprietary information is disclosed to anyone outside of the university. The disclosure of this information without a CDA first being in place can destroy the value of that technology.
- One-way Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA): It is generally used when a party wishes to receive further information to help evaluate a particular technology that they may be interested in.
- Mutual Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA): It is used when proprietary information is exchanged both ways between two parties. This agreement protects both sides when confidential information is being discussed.
- Three-way Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA): It is used when proprietary information is exchanged both ways between three parties. This agreement protects all sides when confidential information is being discussed.
Intellectual Property Assignment
When the University of Pittsburgh or any other university or research institution accepts a federal research grant or contract, the University becomes a federal contractor and is required to comply with the Bayh-Dole regulations as a condition of accepting the funding for research activities. The Bayh-Dole regulations are updated from time to time, and the most recent revisions were published in April of 2018, with an effective date of May 14, 2018.
Although several changes to the regulations impact the University’s obligations as a contractor/recipient of federal research funding, one change in particular relates to a new requirement for the University to have IP assignment agreements with its employees conducting research under the federal grant or contract:
Licensing and Agreement Templates
Once an industry partner or startup company is willing to license an innovation from the University of Pittsburgh, a licensing agreement is negotiated which gives the interested party the right to make, use and/or sell the innovation in the marketplace. Sample licensing and agreement templates help can be found here: Licensing and Agreement Templates