Two Programs To Assist UA Inventors

Commercial Feasibility

Study Program

A Commercial Feasibility Study (CFS) provides an overview of business issues related to an invention or discovery and assesses the viability of the technology and cost/benefit associated with commercialization. This type of study is valuable in helping to determine likelihood of commercial success, and the study can be further developed into a business plan. Up to $5,000 will be made available for CFS. An appropriate timeframe for the CFS will be determined by TLA and the investigator.

CFS awards are to be used to hire qualified consultants or pay for (acceptable) studies. TLA will work with interested investigators to determine the appropriateness of a CFS and, once the feasibility study focus is agreed on by both parties, can also provide lists of resources. In some cases, the TLA Proof of Concept Program or other methods of verifying commercial potential of technology will be recommended.

If you have not previously submitted an invention disclosure to the Office of Technology Transfer related to the technology on which you would like to complete a CFS, then the first step is to complete and submit an Invention Disclosure Form.

TLA will interact with the investigator during the CFS process. Following the conclusion of the CFS, a meeting will be scheduled by TLA. The purpose of this meeting is to comprehensively review and explore the results of the CFS and identify the next steps for the technology, which may include TLA’s Proof of Concept Program or other developmental activities. TLA will continue to work with the investigator and team members to advance technologies with commercial promise.

Eligibility:

1) Primary investigator is a full time UA researcher (faculty or project investigator).

2) Invention disclosure has been filed with TLA.

3) Technology is not licensed or optioned.

4) If the technology is jointly owned, there is an agreement in place with UA designated as lead.

To apply:

Send a letter of interest to the Technology Licensing Manager for your College. Include the following in the letter:

1) Investigator name(s)

2) Title(s)

3) College(s)

4) Department(s)

5) Key contact

6) Key contact phone

7) Key contact email

8) Title of Invention Disclosure

9) Tech ID Number

10) Licensing Manager

11) Has there been prior UA funded POC work for this technology Y/N

12) General technology description

13) Brief statement of commercial relevance and therefore value of commercial feasibility study

Minimum standards for Commercial Feasibility Study final product:

Funds must be used for qualified personnel or other CFS activities and must be used within a reasonable time frame as agreed upon by the investigator and TLA and must include the following at minimum:

1) Potential benefits of technology

2) Market need

3) Potential commercial markets

4) Development status of technology

5) Patent status and strategy

6) Market interest

7) Competing technology (actual and future competitors)

8) Market entry barriers & opportunities

Examples of questions to be answered by the study include:

• What are the key features of the technology and under what conditions do they create the greatest value?
• What is the problem this technology or is best suited to solve?
• Why does the problem exist and who is impacted by the problem?
• How many people or entities are affected by the problem?
• How do those people currently address the problem?
• Of these, how many do you expect to use this solution and why?
• How does the technology solve the problem?
• How can it be protected? Is a prototype necessary? Does a complementary necessary technology or process already exist?
• Does someone else own the rights to a necessary component?
• Is prototype or other proof of concept necessary? Describe the needed information and how it would be obtained
• What kinds of technical and business expertise are needed to develop and commercialize the technology?

Proof of Concept

Program 2.0

Novel university developed technologies are inherently very early stage; often too early stage for external investment--yet beyond funding eligibility for general lab research. As such, investigators find themselves in a gap between the current state of technology development and commercialization requirements.

Investigators that find themselves in this gap now have TLA’s Proof of Concept Program 2.0 (POC). POC was introduced at the UA in 2012 through a competitive call for proposals that awarded $715K to UA investigators to explore and verify specific technical and commercial dimensions of their inventions—moving them closer to outside funding. 19 UA technologies benefited and have advanced with new knowledge of the commercial relevance by the investigators.

In 2013, the Proof of Concept Program has progressed. This year, Proof of Concept funds will be made available to UA inventors when the time is right—rather than once a year. TLA will accept POC letters of interest from investigators throughout the year and will evaluate each on its own merits.

Also new this year, investigators do not need to complete a full POC proposal to start. A letter of interest to the Technology Licensing Manager (see list), discussing 1) the base technology; 2) what the investigator expects the basis of the Proof of Concept work to be (what needs to be tested or validated); 3) Why and how it relates to a market driver (what is the commercial relevance).

With the support and market insight of Wheelhouse domain experts, the Technology Licensing Manager and other TLA personnel will work with the investigator to determine if the technology is appropriate for POC and to shape the final POC proposal. This approach also helps to determine accurate expenses, timeline, and outcomes associated with the POC project. Sample POC objectives might include: Design, construct, and evaluate a prototype device, delivery system, software, etc; Generate data to support potential commercial value of the invention; Validate software code for commercial application; Test/verify scalability and efficacy; etc. Funds will not be targeted for use as basic research funding or to provide general lab support.

All intellectual property considered for POC funding and generated during the POC work will be assigned to the University of Arizona. POC applicants will be required to execute the necessary documents to ensure the title to any intellectual property rests with the Arizona Board of Regents.

Following the conclusion of the POC work, a comprehensive project meeting will be scheduled by TLA. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the invention and the items learned from the POC activities, generate interest, make connections, obtain a greater understanding of critical commercialization factors, and identify the next steps and resources necessary for commercialization. The presentation will be attended by domain experts, investors, TLA personnel, and team members associated with the technology. TLA will continue to work with the investigator and team members to advance the technology to license or start up.

Eligibility:

1. Primary investigator is a full time UA researcher (faculty or project investigator).
2. Invention disclosure has been filed with TLA.
3. Technology is not licensed or optioned.
4. If the technology is jointly owned, there is an agreement in place with UA designated as lead.
5. POC funding is the best qualified funding source (as opposed to funding sources intended for basic research, bridge funding or general lab support).

To apply:

Send a letter of interest to the Technology Licensing Manager for your College. Include the following in the letter:

• Investigator name(s)
• Title(s)
• College(s)
• Department(s)
• Key contact
• Key contact phone
• Key contact email
• Title of Invention Disclosure
• Tech ID Number
• Licensing Manager
• General description of the base technology
• Description of what should be validated in relationship to the commercial potential of the technology. It is not necessary to describe the methodology for the validation. This can be developed with TLA personnel.
• Brief statement of the commercial relevance of the technology, if validated (why and how it relates to a market driver).