Dedicated to Discovery. Committed to Care.

Office of Research and Technology Ventures

Invention Disclosures

Review Process

  1. Receipt of Invention Disclosure
    Each investigator at Dana-Farber is assigned a case manager from ORTV who serves as her/his main point of contact for invention management and interactions with industry. The case manager coordinates the invention disclosure review process. If the investigator has not worked with ORTV before, a case manager will be assigned.
  2. Invention Disclosure Meeting
    The case manager and patent counsel from the Office of General Counsel (OGC) meet with the investigators to discuss the invention disclosure in greater detail.
  3. Invention Disclosure Evaluation
    ORTV and OGC work together to evaluate each invention and determine if a patent application should be filed:
    • OGC evaluates an invention to determine the scope of patent rights that may available.
    • ORTV evaluates an invention from a commercial perspective. Factors considered include market demand, competitive advantages over existing technologies and whether patent protection will encourage a company to license and develop an invention.
    • Inventions such as antibodies, research reagents, and software may not require patent protection to facilitate commercialization.
  4. Patent Filing
    If the decision is made to file a patent, OGC will work with the investigators and outside patent attorneys to draft and file a patent application.