The powerful combination of high quality science, an entrepreneurial culture, and strong partnerships between UCSF’s investigators and experienced team has resulted in an impressive track record of commercial successes. 

Our team will work with you to evaluate new technologies, guide you on strategies to support commercialization of your idea, and devise a tailored commercialization and IP protection plan. Let's take a closer look at the process of commercializing UCSF's inventions from the lab to products that impact lives!

How We Work With You

Step One: Grow Your Idea

We are excited to talk to you, even months or years before you are ready to disclose your innovation. Contact us so we can help you plan your next steps to developing a commercially viable product or solution. We can advise you on:

• Data needed to support your patent application
• What proof of concept data will be important for engaging industry partners
• Market opportunity for your idea
• Resources to help you advance your program, whether a software developer, an engineer to build a device prototype, or a contract lab to test pharmaceutical properties of your small molecule.

These are just a few ways we can help you grow your idea. Whether you need help finding funding, or development partners, or gaining strategic planning input, you can always contact us: we’ll work with you and connect you to the resources you need to be successful.

Step Two: Protect Your Idea

If you have an invention or technology that you think is new, exciting and has potential as a commercial product or application, please contact our office. Click Here for more information.

Step Three: Technology Evaluation

There are several factors we consider when we evaluate your innovation and you, as the inventor and expert in your scientific area, remain critical in aiding this process. 

Some of the questions we evaluate include:

Step Four: Market UCSF Technologies

We have a number of strategies to maximize our ability to partner your innovations. Some of these strategies include:

• Reviewing, selecting and contacting companies, entrepreneurs, and venture funds whose interests best align with your innovation
• Working together with UCSF’s News Office to develop public announcements around innovative discoveries
• Publicizing technology summaries on our website, the UC-wide technology site, and other sites such as iBridge 
• Uncovering and facilitating opportunities for inventors to present data to potential industry partners

Once we have commercial interest in your innovation, we’ll work hard to help get your technology licensed, obtain a sponsored research agreement or both. We will be mindful of disclosing your inventions thoughtfully so as to preserve confidentiality, both to protect your work and to safeguard any IP rights. Don’t forget to make sure any presentations or discussions of your innovations are under confidentiality, and don’t hesitate to talk to us if you aren’t sure if you need a confidentiality agreement.

Step Five: License UCSF Technologies

UCSF offers a variety of licenses and agreements to handle the transfer of our technologies to the market place.

Licenses and Agreements: