The aim of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Technology Institute’s first-of-its-kind for this area Intellectual Asset Inventory (IAI) is to encourage technology transfer and commercialization in Northeastern Pennsylvania’s institutions of higher education.

The IAI comprises a database providing dynamic information from all 14 institutions of higher education in the region, including research, publications, faculty expertise, facilities, equipment, services and intellectual property.

Regional Businesses

Through the IAI,  area business and industry can leverage the intellectual capital and resources available at member institutions to:

• perform sponsored research locally;
• validate results using institution equipment;
• forge partnerships with local research faculty; and
• transfer and commercialize technology.

For more information, contact Robert Watts at 570-341-8099 or rwatts@greatvalleyalliance.com.

Regional Institutions of Higher Education

Local institutions of higher education will benefit from the IAI by having the ability to find peers with low-density skills for collaborative research locally, to share facilities, equipment, and services to maximize capital intensive investments, and to have a virtual showcase of intellectual property on display for transfer or commercialization.

The IAI also provides access to resources and opportunities like its Funding Funnel, which creates a single point of reference for researchers seeking funding, and its memorandum of understanding with the Penn State University Intellectual Property Agreement that gives members access to services that include but are not limited to:

• Intellectual property market assessment
• Development an intellectual protection strategy (patent, licensing, royalty agreements)
• Active marketing of the intellectual property for transfer
• Negotiation of agreements (NDA, confidentiality, disclosures, material transfer options)

And through the IAI, for the first time, research faculty across the region will achieve rapid communication and mutual support; talented students will have the ability to locate faculty at any institution in regard to graduate assistantship and employment opportunities; and the successes of individual institutions, as well as the region as a whole, will be promoted to internal and external sources, encouraging participation, partnerships, and publication.

For more information, contact Robert Watts at 570-341-8099 or rwatts@greatvalleyalliance.com.