Report your Innovation
Welcome to the University of Minnesota’s updated innovation reporting process - a user friendly digital form to make sharing your discoveries faster and easier.
Whether you have a breakthrough medical device, a novel software algorithm, or a new plant variety, our team is here to help you protect your ideas and maximize their real-world impact.
Before you submit, please review the important information below:
Why Submit Your Innovation?
Reporting your discovery is the first step in a collaborative journey to turn campus research into real-world solutions:
- Drive Real-World Impact: Your research has the potential to solve global challenges, improve lives, and stimulate the economy.
- Protect Your Intellectual Property (IP): Securing patents, copyrights, or trademarks ensures your hard work is legally protected before it enters the public domain.
- Stay Compliant: Federal grants (such as NIH and NSF) and corporate sponsorships require the University to report inventions. UMN policy also requires researchers to report discoveries that may have commercial or public value.
- Access Funding & Support: Once you submit, our Technology Sector teams unlock access to dedicated commercialization funding, legal expertise, corporate licensing opportunities, and startup resources through the Venture Center.
What Types of Innovations Should You Submit?
We welcome and review disclosures from all fields of study across the University. Here are descriptions and examples of various types of innovations:
| Category | Description & Examples |
|---|---|
| Compositions | New chemical compounds, metal alloys, polymers, nanomaterials, catalysts, or biological molecules (like proteins or DNA sequences). |
| Devices | Lab instruments, medical hardware, sensors, specialized mechanical tools, robotic components, or wearable technology. |
| Methods/Processes | Manufacturing techniques, chemical synthesis steps, diagnostic protocols, surgical methods, or optimized industrial workflows. |
| AI Models | Trained neural networks, machine learning weights/parameters, model architectures, or specialized "fine-tuned" versions of existing foundational models. |
| Early Stage Plant Material | Germplasm, breeding lines or early stage selections that are not yet stable and uniform. |
| Plant Varieties | Stable and uniform plant varieties or cultivars. |
| Tangible Research Material | Cell lines, antibodies, plasmids, reagents, specialized prototypes, or proprietary lab samples. |
| Technical Information | Optimized lab parameters, practical “secret sauce” for manufacturing, specialized calibration data, or unpatented technical expertise. |
| Creative/Authored Works | Training manuals, clinical surveys, educational curricula, multimedia videos, architectural drawings, or assessment rubrics. |
| Software Code | Source code, executable programs, mobile apps, specialized scripts, APIs, or website backend logic. |
| Data/Data Sets | Genomic libraries, clinical trial databases, sensor data logs, or curated image sets used for training and validation. |
| Names/Logos | Specific program names, distinctive icons for software, or trademarks associated with a university-developed plant, methodology, or service. |
When is the Right Time to Submit?
Rule of thumb: Submit early, and always before your first public disclosure.
To preserve international patent rights, please submit your innovation at least three months before your research becomes public knowledge. You should initiate a submission if:
- Your research has resulted in a new, exciting discovery or a proven prototype.
- You are preparing to submit an abstract, journal article, thesis, or grant proposal.
- You plan to present your work at a conference, poster session, seminar, or public talk.
- An external company contacts you expressing interest in your research.
- You are interested in launching a startup company based on your technology.
Protect Your Patent Rights: Before your submission is reviewed by our team, avoid sharing technical details about your invention in public abstracts, blogs, emails, or presentations. If you use generative AI tools to assist your work, ensure you are strictly using UMN-approved AI tools for Private-Restricted Data.
How to Submit (Fast & Simple)
We’ve modernized our submission process so you can share your innovation in minutes—no downloads, account creations, or portal logins required.
- Information Needed: Before you begin, make sure you have:
- Names and email addresses of all people who contributed to the innovation (UMN and non-UMN)
- A brief, 1-paragraph summary of the innovation (or a draft abstract/manuscript to upload).
- Grant Award #s and EFS Chartstrings or CON numbers for all funding related to the innovation
- Launch the Form: Click the button below to open our secure, user-friendly submission form.
- Tell Us About Your Work: Complete the guided questions regarding your innovation, contributors, and funding sources.
- Submit Digitally: Hit submit, and your information will be instantly and securely routed to our office. You can also save to continue later or share with a collaborator before submitting.
- Next Steps: You will receive an email from the office informing you of the Case number and Technology Portfolio Manager (TPM) assigned to your case. The TPM will start the evaluation process and follow-up with you to discuss your innovation and map out next steps.
Submit Your Innovation Disclosure
Questions? Need Assistance?
If you want to discuss your innovation before submitting, or if you encounter any technical issues with the new form, we are here to help. Contact us at [email protected], or reach out directly to one of the contacts in your Technology Sector on our Contact Us page.