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Work with your TTO, file an IDF on time, line up PI approvals, and structure spinout terms investors will back. Translate investor needs into a university deal and lead negotiations confidently on valuation-critical points.

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1. Working with Your University Tech Transfer Office (TTO)

What a TTO Does and How to Engage Them

Your university's Technology Transfer Office (TTO) bridges academic research and commercial application. These organisations manage how university discoveries become real-world products and services.

TTOs handle five core functions:

• IP protection – Filing patents, managing portfolios, and protecting discoveries
• Market assessment – Evaluating commercial potential and identifying pathways to market
• Deal-making – Negotiating licences with companies and structuring spin-out agreements
• Company formation – Supporting new ventures based on university research
• Industry networking – Connecting researchers with partners, investors, and customers

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Start engaging your TTO before publishing anything with commercial potential. Book an introductory meeting to understand their processes and timelines. Most TTOs welcome proactive researchers—it simplifies their work and improves commercialisation outcomes.

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How to file an Invention Disclosure Form (IDF)

The Invention Disclosure Form starts your formal commercialisation journey. This document captures your invention's key details and helps the TTO assess its potential.

Submit your IDF 3+ months before any public disclosure. TTOs need time to assess patentability, search prior art, and file provisional patents. Remember: in most countries, public disclosure before patent filing destroys patent rights.

Role of Your Principal Investigator (PI) in Approvals

For PhD students and postdocs, your PI holds significant influence over commercialisation. University IP policies typically require PI approval for any commercial use of lab research.

Your PI's responsibilities include:

• Endorsing the IDF – Confirming accuracy and supporting commercialisation
• Structuring ongoing research – Defining how the spin-out and lab will collaborate
• Managing conflicts – Ensuring commercial activities don't compromise academic duties
• Choosing involvement level – Some become co-founders; others remain advisers or stay hands-off

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Discuss your commercialisation plans with your PI early. Some actively encourage entrepreneurship; others worry about distraction from research. Understanding their position helps you find a mutually beneficial path forward. In general, if a professor wants to be a co-founder but not leave to join the venture full time, it is important they don’t retain significant ownership. Best practice is 5% which should be vested with agreed ongoing contribution to the venture.

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