Transfer Your Innovation

For over 20 years, the University of Colorado has created and sustained an entrepreneurial environment as part of its mission to bring technology to market for the benefit of society. CU Innovations takes the university’s history of and commitment to entrepreneurship one step further by proactively facilitating technology transfers based on the research crafted at the University of Colorado. Technology transfer takes a variety of forms, and the ones most frequently employed by CU Innovations include: starting a company, licensing technology, and publishing research.

In the CU Innovations office, starting a company from an invention is a selective process with detailed assessments and expert guidance along the way. Inventions undergo a thorough evaluation of their potential, including commercial and technical value, inventor’s interest, investment opportunities, deployment options, and patentability, among other considerations. To establish a new company, CU Innovations provides invaluable support to the inventor by offering a relevant mix of business experience and technical knowledge in exchange for equity consideration.

Licensing is another common avenue to bring technology from the laboratory to the market. Again, the inventor works closely with CU Innovations staff from the early stages of pursuing patent protection to the final stages of transferring the invention to the licensee’s use. To facilitate these licenses, CU Innovations leverages its own and the inventor’s relationships with the industry to match an invention with potential commercial partners and create a win-win relationship to translate an innovation to a product or service.

To promote the university’s mission of advancing research and knowledge, CU Innovations also encourages the use of the Creative Commons and open source licensing. The office can provide advice on appropriate tools to copyright works and software while providing clear rights to users and collaborators.