The Simon-Erdős School of Design Sciences (“the School” or “DESC”) is the one-of-a-kind research-academy for researchers who are entrepreneurial thinkers and collaborative creative minds with industry partners.

Transferring research innovations into the marketplace can have transformative societal impacts on improving quality of life as well as enhancing business productivity and job creation.

The DESC combines world class research with a unique “creator-own” intellectual property (IP) rights policy to foster an entrepreneurial environment that drives innovations from the lab to the marketplace.

The Simon-Erdős Commercialization Office (DESCo) offers commercialization services and expertise to package and convert research innovations into commercially viable products and services.

Commercialization Services

• Moving an innovation from the lab to a product that is economically viable and improves lives can be a complicated process. Highly legalistic, it requires experienced management of the issues to realize the full potential of the innovation.

  Working in conjunction with the School researchers and partners, DESCo is focused on enhancing the opportunity to commercialize the innovation. By taking on this role, DESCo makes the commercialization process smoother allowing researchers to focus on research.

  DESCo’s team of professionals manages the entire process for researchers including the following activities:

  • Confirm technology pedigree – sort out legal issues relevant to licensees and investors, e.g., who has rights? who are inventors? as well as disclosure and prior art status
  • Assess opportunity – define and position the opportunity in commercial terms, e.g., identifying “market pain,” market size, barriers to entry, commercial pathway
  • Protect IP – create an “asset” and preserve commercial opportunity, i.e., investment in patent costs and IP management
  • Develop prototype – validate performance and advance commercial readiness, i.e., secure funding for proof-of-concept projects
  • Tap into DESCo’s network of business and investor contacts
  • Facilitate the creation of start-up companies or negotiate license agreements with existing companies

  Work with DESCo to take your innovation to the next level.

Licensing

DESCo’s licensing experience has resulted in several active licence agreements with a wide range of small and large corporate partners.

DESCo strives to balance the school’s need to derive a reasonable financial return on its early risk investment in preserving and adding value to early technology opportunities and the needs of our industry partners to secure licensing terms that are flexible and respect the needs of different market realities. DESCo is either a member of or collaborate with several industry organizations as well as other professional technology transfer and licensing associations and adheres to the general best licensing practices endorsed by these groups.

Exclusive licensing arrangements have a higher potential value than non-exclusive licensing arrangements, and therefore, licensing terms for each carry difference expectations and obligations. DESCo’s general licensing terms for both are outlined below:

Exclusive licence (PDF)
Non-exclusive licence (PDF)