University personnel who alone or in association with others create novel research results (e.g., inventions, technical data, and copyrightable works) with any use of University resources are responsible for disclosing the results to the Office of Technology Transfer and Industry Collaboration, TTIC.

This is usually done through the submission of an Invention Disclosure Form (IDF). When submitted, the IDF initiates action by TTIC to investigate the protection (through patenting or other means), marketing and commercialization of the technology. The requirement to disclose is especially important for any inventions that are derived from external research support. Almost all funding sources require that resulting inventions be reported to the University. In compliance with federal regulations, TTIC is responsible for reporting all inventions made with government funding to the appropriate funding body. Such obligations exist because reporting an invention to TTIC enables TTIC to begin seeking the appropriate intellectual property rights on behalf of the creator, the University, and any sponsoring entity. Independently owned technology need not be disclosed to TTIC unless the owner of the technology desires TTIC to commercialize the technology. Please review the Tufts Policy on Rights and Responsibilities with Respect to Intellectual Property for more information about university requirements related to intellectual property and disclosures.

Why submit an invention disclosure form?

Submission of the form helps start communication between you and TTIC. Communication is an important part of the process and helps create an understanding of the research and how it can be applied to industry. It is important to disclose an invention whenever a significant discovery has been made. When in doubt, disclose.

When to disclose?

Timely disclosure is imperative. Reporting an invention to TTIC after or with insufficient time prior to any public disclosure of the invention (i.e., oral presentation, article publication, poster session, dissertation) may lead to the loss of intellectual property rights. Publicly disclosing an invention prior to filing for a patent may preclude patenting in foreign countries altogether and may also preclude protection in the United States unless a patent application is filed within one year from the date of such public disclosure. Once a disclosure is received by TTIC, it is assigned within the office to the appropriate case manager for evaluation. TTIC will work with investigators to ensure that all inventors are correctly named, and that any co-owning institution or company is properly informed. TTIC relies on information provided to the office in IDFs for this purpose. It is also important to be in contact with the TTIC during the invention evaluation process to continue a discussion of the technology and how it might be approached from a marketing perspective.

Dashboard

When you log into the portal, you’ll first be taken to your dashboard. Your dashboard will show your recent activity, along with a quantitative summary of disclosures and/or agreements in process and awaiting review. Clicking on the name of a disclosure listed under “recent activity” will take you directly to that disclosure.

Disclosures

The disclosures tab displays all disclosures you have started or submitted. You can search by keyword or filter by review stage (draft, submitted, approved) or date created in order to find a specific disclosure. You can also sort the results by clicking on the column names (e.g. status, created date). Clicking “view” next to any disclosure will take you to the record for that disclosure, where you will be able to make changes if it has not yet been submitted.

Add New Disclosure

By clicking on ‘Add New Disclosure’, you are able to create a new disclosure record. A title is required for every new disclosure. You can change the title at any time before submission. The content of the web-based IDF is the same as the old PDF form. Please read all instructions thoroughly as you complete the form.

In the form, an asterisk indicates when a question or field is required. Many of the fields are technically “optional” for submission if they are not relevant for you. However, this does not mean they are not important. The more information you provide, the better, therefore please provide all the information you have available. When you have completed and reviewed your IDF, submit it for review. Your assigned licensing manager will review your IDF and reach out about next steps.

Please note that only subscribers receive email notifications regarding disclosure status and remarks from the portal. If you would like researchers and/or additional subscribers to be notified, please add them as subscribers.

Going forward, PDF disclosures will no longer be accepted.

If a Tufts researcher desires to receive funding from, collaborate with, or transfer materials/data to/from collaborators outside of Tufts University, an agreement is a required part of that transaction. Agreements establish terms around the permitted uses of the materials or data, scope of research, confidentiality, publication/disclosure of research results, and ownership of intellectual property and developed inventions.

Submission of the form helps start communication between you and our office. Communication is an important part of the process and helps create an understanding of the research and how it can be applied to industry. The Agreement templates that are provided in the portal include: Material Transfer Agreement Inbound (MTA In), Material Transfer Agreement Outbound (MTA Out), Confidentiality, Data Use, and Visiting Scientist Agreements (VSA).

MTA In – (Incoming Materials) Agreement that governs the transfer of tangible materials between Tufts and another organization.

MTA Out – (Outgoing Materials) Agreement that governs the transfer of tangible materials between Tufts and another organization.

Confidentiality – Agreement that governs the exchange of confidential or proprietary material, knowledge, or information for specific purposes between Tufts and another organization.

Data Use  – Agreement that governs the transfer of research data between Tufts University and another organization.

Visiting Scientist Agreement (VSA) – Agreement between Tufts and another organization providing for a faculty or other affiliated member of Tufts to engage in work at the other organization, or for a faculty or other affiliated member of the other organization to engage in work at Tufts.

Dashboard

When you log into the portal, you’ll first be taken to your dashboard. Your dashboard will show your recent activity, along with a quantitative summary of agreements and/or inventions in process and awaiting review. Clicking on the name of an agreement listed under “recent activity” will take you directly to that agreement.

Request an Agreement

The ‘Request an Agreement’ tab displays all the agreements you have started or submitted. You can search by keyword or filter by type, status (all, active, not executed, not submitted, pending – in process, submitted, terminated) or date created in order to find a specific agreement. You can also sort the results by clicking on the column names (e.g. title, agreement ID, type, party, researchers, status, entered by, and created date). Clicking “view” next to any agreement will take you to the record for that agreement, where you will be able to make changes if it has not yet been submitted.

Add New Agreement

By clicking on ‘Add New Agreement’, you are able to create a new agreement record. A title and type are required for every new agreement. You can choose the type of agreement by clicking the drop-down feature and selecting one of five options. You can change the title and type at any time before submission. The content of the web-based Agreement is the same as the Qualtrics forms. Please read all instructions thoroughly as you complete the form.

In the forms, an asterisk indicates when a question or field is required. Some of the fields are technically “optional” for submission if they are not relevant for you. However, this does not mean they are not important. The more information you provide, the better, so please provide all the information you have available.

When you have completed and reviewed your agreement, submit it for review. An assigned manager will review your agreement and reach out regarding the next steps.

Please note that only subscribers receive email notifications regarding agreement status and remarks from the portal. If you would like researchers and/or additional subscribers to be notified, please add them as subscribers.