UK Innovators

1. Why should I disclose an innovation to UK Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)?
   As University of Kentucky employees and researchers, we all have a duty to disclose new innovations. In addition, UK OTC can assist with the commercialization and dissemination of your innovation, and UK OTC ensures all federal compliance regulations are met with respect to federally-funded projects.
2. When should I disclose an innovation to UK OTC?
   As soon as your innovation has moved from an idea to an actual embodiment of your innovation.
3. Do I need to have a working prototype to disclose an idea?
   No, a prototype is not required for filing.
4. What if I have published or presented my idea before submitting a disclosure?
   Although this could affect intellectual property rights, you should still disclose your innovation to OTC, as protection may still be available. Note: it is best to submit an innovation disclosure form before releasing it in a public venue including UKNow or websites.
5. Who should I contact if I have additional questions or want to discuss my idea before submitting an innovation disclosure form?
   Send an email here.
6. Should I complete a form if I would like to get a copyright or trade secret?
7. Yes, the disclosure form can be used for all forms of intellectual property.
8. I don’t think my idea is patentable, should I still complete an innovation disclosure form?Yes, there may be other forms of intellectual property available for the innovation.
9. Should I include data when submitting an innovation disclosure form?
   All data related to your innovation should be included in the disclosure. Our online disclosure form allows for the attachment of documents to help facilitate this.
10. Should I complete an innovation disclosure form if I collaborated with someone from another university?
    Yes, a disclosure form should be submitted to UK OTC in any collaboration resulting in an innovation. In addition, your collaborators should also submit a disclosure to their respective technology transfer offices.
11. How should I disclose an innovation to UK OTC?
    You should complete the UK OTC electronic innovation disclosure form. You can access this form in a few ways. 1) Click on Submit an Innovation on the navigation bar on the OTC website; 2) Click on Submit an Innovation in the Quick Links on the OTC website; 3) Click on UK Innovators on the OTC website, which provides instructions, FAQs and the link to Submit an Innovation; 4) login into Sophia (Intellectual Property portal) with your Linkblue ID email and password and click on Innovation in the upper right-hand side; or 5) click here.
12. Who should I contact if I am having issues logging in or submitting the innovation disclosure form?
    Send an email here.

UK Innovators can view past University of Kentucky innovations they are inventors on through the Sophia system. Contact the Intellectual Property/Compliance Coordinator to request access to Sophia.  

Login to the Sophia system using your Linkblue account. 

Access all of your innovation reporting history using OTC's online portal. The portal can be accessed using your Linkblue login. If you have any issues with your innovation account views, please contact the Intellectual Property Coordinator. 

Income Distribution Process

License and royalty income derived from the commercialization of UK inventions is distributed according to UK's Administrative Regulations as follows:

1. Income Received from Licensee
2. Income Distributed to Inventors (40%)
   • Following payment of patent and/or other expenses, distributions occur by the end of December and June of each fiscal year
3. Income Distributed to Colleges (20%) and Departments (20%)
   • Distributions occur by the end of July and January of each fiscal year

Biological materials such as cell lines, antibodies, plasmids, etc. constitute tangible intellectual property within the scope of UK’s IP Policy (Administrative Regulation 7:6).  Although these materials are not typically patentable, they may be commercialized. 

It is important to complete a new biological materials form to enable us to better understand what the material is, identify who created it, and assess its commercial potential. Additionally, we must be sure to identify any grants or sponsored awards used to support the development of the materials to ensure our compliance with those contracts

To report new biological materials you have developed, please contact the Office of Technology Commercialization to request our Biological Materials Report form.  

• General Information
  • Signature Authority
    Memorandum of Understanding
    Handling Confidential Information
    Types of Confidential Information
    Intellectual Property
    Research Data Retention & Ownership