The Ohio IP Promise

closeup of a hand holding a lightbulb with a bright sky in the background

In May 2019, the lieutenant governor challenged the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC) to establish a best-in-class process for how universities cultivate the licensing of intellectual property (IP) developed by Ohio public universities in order to strengthen Ohio's economy, attract innovative researchers, and serve as a magnet for investors and entrepreneurs.

Central State University is united with Ohio’s public universities to further streamline our processes, driving transparency and speed to support the commercialization of Ohio innovations stakeholders including Ohio all stakeholders: faculty and researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry partners. Central State is committed to the guiding principles of The Ohio IP Promise.

Read on to learn how Central State is approaching this challenge.

Flexible

Central State University provides industry access to intellectual property developed through sponsored research on its campus.

Transparent

Central State University is developing sponsored research and license agreements that will promote greater engagement with industries.

Simple

Central State University inspires a spirit of entrepreneurship and encourages faculty members through a collaborative effort to pursue the commercialization of their efforts.

Clear

Central State’s intellectual property policy clearly articulates the process for converting faculty work to commercial ventures and how the University engages its researchers. The policy delineates each party’s role and how inventions can be converted into innovation.

Easy

Industry, investors, and entrepreneurs have easy access to CSU’s commercialization efforts through the Office of Sponsored Programs and Research. Email inquiries to mkuti@centralstate.edu.

Fast

The Office of Sponsored Programs and Research works with the assistant director of the Innovation and Technology Incubation and the Office of General Counsel to review technologies and pending agreements.

  • The IUC convened representatives from the 14 Ohio public university technology transfer offices. Under the leadership of The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, this group engaged faculty, research officers, entrepreneurs, investors, and attorneys to gain insights into their needs and ideas. 

    The approach included the following:

    • Benchmarking peer universities across the nation, including Stanford, MIT, Michigan, and Purdue.
    • Comparing the technology commercialization processes at our state institutions.
    • Collaborating with Ohio’s Research Officers Council to ensure alignment on guiding principles.

  • With this knowledge and under the leadership of Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati, the state’s universities aligned on the following guiding principles that serve as a foundation for the Ohio IP Promise.

    1. Flexible: Provide industry choices for accessing intellectual property developed through sponsored research
    2. Transparent: Publish template-sponsored research and license agreements
    3. Simple: Deliver fair and streamlined guidelines for faculty creator startups
    4. Clear: Communicate licensing processes on university websites in a clear, prominent way
    5. Easy: Provide well-defined university entry points for industry, investors, and entrepreneurs
    6. Fast: Reduce impediments that hinder the pace of transactions

  • Ohio public universities commit to further streamlining their processes, driving transparency and speed to support the commercialization of Ohio innovations. With a focus on continuous improvement, universities will develop aligned metrics and annual measurement processes and establish common reporting mechanisms.

    This initiative fosters a climate where innovation thrives through partnerships among universities, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. With improved collaboration, high-impact discoveries made at Ohio universities will go to market more quickly, boosting Ohio’s economy and improving its residents’ lives with new products and services.

  • The Ohio IP Promise has unified Ohio’s public universities to provide a clear path for faculty and entrepreneurs interested in pursuing entrepreneurial and commercial ventures. The universities will prominently display on their technology transfer or research websites the following resources:

    • Licensing options for industry-sponsored research agreements that are competitive and flexible
    • Clearly defined options for the industry reflecting different levels of IP rights from sponsored research
    • Standard option and license agreement templates
    • Simple and transparent guidelines and agreements for faculty creator startups

    The Ohio IP Promise helps ensure that Ohio’s public universities are competitive when it comes to the transfer of university discoveries to the commercial sector and benefits all stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

    • Faculty and researchers will understand the pathways to protect and commercialize their intellectual property through well-defined and clear information.
    • Entrepreneurs will be able to create new companies around these innovations more efficiently through increased transparency in how Ohio's universities conduct business.
    • Investors will benefit from increased opportunities to invest in the high-quality innovations developed at Ohio’s public universities.
    • Industry partners will have easier access and increased options for intellectual property developed through sponsored research, providing opportunities that drive economic impact and market growth using pubic university innovations.