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The University of Maine’s rapidly growing research base has fueled a number of patents and licenses for the innovations of faculty, staff, and students. Currently, UMaine has a portfolio of more than 50 patents or applications pending, and more than 10 license options being implemented. ORED facilitates the technology transfer and commercialization of inventions produced at the university.

Information for Faculty and Staff
Benefits of working with ORED include intellectual property protection, additional research funding through business, government, and industry partnerships, and supplemental income from royalty and the licensing revenues generated from licensing technologies.

If any of the following situations apply to you, please contact ORED at (207) 581-2201 so that it may assist you with protecting your intellectual property:
  • You have developed an invention
  • You are named as the inventor on a patent application filed by a company or branch of the U.S. government
  • You are asked to provide unpublished information or research results to a company
  • You are going to publish a paper or give a presentation about a research project that may involve a new invention
  • A company expresses a desire to license technology from your laboratory
  • You already have or would like to start a company based on technology developed at the university

According to the University of Maine System Intellectual Property Policy, it has the right to all inventions that university personnel conceived or first reduced to practice as a part of or as a result of a university administered program or research; activities within the scope of the inventor’s employment by the university; and activities involving the use of university time, facilities, and/or materials.

University faculty and staff looking to protect and license their inventions must take the critical first step of submitting an Invention Disclosure Form. With the information obtained from this form, ORED may evaluate the invention’s commercial potential, as well as their ability to successfully protect the invention through a patent or license.

Information for Businesses
ORED works to ensure that UMaine inventions are properly protected and brought to their full development. When an invention has commercial potential, ORED will attempt to license the technology to a start-up or existing business. Licensing fees and royalties help to further UMaine’s research and development efforts.

To promote our state’s economic development, ORED often will reduce its licensing fees and royalties when companies commercialize UMaine inventions in Maine.

UMaine has several technologies available for license. If your company has an interest in one of our technologies, contact ORED to discuss licensing and transfer opportunities.

Information for Other Inventors
The Maine Patent Program helps Maine inventors and small businesses understand how to identify and protect their intellectual property. It also sponsors the Maine Inventors Forum, which holds regular meetings on the second Tuesday of each month in Portland and the third Wednesday of each month in Orono.

If you need assistance with prototype development, learn about resources available at UMaine.
 

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