We recognize that launching a startup based on your UO research can, at first, appear daunting. OVPRI is your innovation concierge, walking with you from the earliest stages of your research through all the stages of company formation, explaining each step along the way.
Project Management: Building the infrastructure and aligning expectations for launching a research-based startup begins at the earliest stages of your research. Industry, Innovation, and Translation (IIT) provides the advising and management tools to help you navigate issues early and to make sure everyone shares your vision when it comes time to get your startup off the ground.
Inventory and Acquire Intellectual Property: We conduct a thorough intellectual property inventory to identify the intangible assets that would best support a research-based startup. Based on that analysis, we apply for patents, copyrights, or trademarks for the research work that would support a startup and bundle that with IP rights already acquired during your research project.
We might also conduct a freedom to operate study to determine what other products and services are on the market and how their IP position may impact development and commercialization of your work. This information often guides a discussion about who to best partner with or who to avoid.
Choose a Path: We lay out the pros and cons of launching a new business to support your innovation to determine if forming a new company is the right next step or if licensing your innovation to an existing company may be a better path.
Education: Through our Mentor Network Catalyst, we connect you to relevant entrepreneurship training programs at UO or in the community, geared toward your technology field and experience. Many of these programs help you refine market fit and narrow your focus to facilitate success.
Funding Your Idea: OVPRI recently expanded the internal grant mechanisms supporting commercialization and translational research at UO with the launch of the Translational Opportunity Fund. The new grant program aligns with UO's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative and is funded by generous donations from donors interested in accelerating the impact of innovations resulting from UO research.
Grants are now available for translational research and activities to confirm if spinning out is the appropriate next step. Examples include: pilots, prototyping, regulatory analysis, pitch documents, market analysis and validation as well as business services to support spinout launch (business research, legal services, accounting, SBIR development support, coaching, web design, and branding).
Through our Mentor Network Catalyst, we connect you with investors who can help refine your business ideas and fund your company at the right time.
Making Connections: Our Mentor Network Catalyst will connect you to resources both within the UO and in the community to help you better position your company for success.
A new company takes extensive work, expertise, and focus. To get an idea of the types of things you will need to think about in launching a startup, download our checklist and cost calculator below.