Innovation Mobilization and Partnerships has developed a guide to help innovators within the University of Saskatchewan community learn more about the process of protecting and commercializing the results of innovative work. A campus innovator can be anyone, from a student to staff to a senior faculty member, because we believe good ideas can come from anywhere. This guide is intended to answer questions around innovation development, and to prepare you for a conversation withInnovation Mobilization and Partnerships.

 

Why work with us?

As campus leaders in entrepreneurship we can assist and engage in taking your work to the next level. Working with Innovation Mobilization and Partnerships to develop your innovations benefits not only your programs but society at large. We want to work with you early in the process of developing your innovation, because that is the best way to realize the value for you, the University and society. Speaking to us early allows us to advise you on how to meet your goals as an innovator, and to make sure we build familiarity with your work so that we can anticipate the resources that may be required to develop it down the road. We also have proof of concept funds available to you, which we invest to aid in prototyping or other work that helps you advance toward commercialization. Working with us can help you:

  • Create impact – your innovation could have the potential to create a positive impact. Innovation Mobilization and Partnerships seeks to create value for a sustainable future and you are a fundamental source of knowledge-intensive solutions to address challenges in our society, economy and environment.
  • Build networks – IE can help you access and grow local and international networks, including connections to business resources and leading start-up incubators and accelerators.
  • Protect your intellectual property – if you speak to us about your idea or innovation early, before making any publication or presentation, we can provide strategies to help balance your desire to share information about your innovation with peers or in publications, but to also preserve and protect it for commercial purposes. With respect to patenting, most geographic jurisdictions – including Canada and the US – have a “first to file” rule. This means that the first person to file a patent has priority over anyone else claiming the same invention, even one day later, which is an important reason to contact us as early as possible.
  • Trigger new funding and achieve self-reward – royalties gained through profitably licensing your innovation to industry could be used to fund future research. Developing connections with industry that are potential licensees could also trigger funding in the form of research or collaboration agreements. Also, a fruitful license agreement or shares in a flourishing start up-company may bring you some financial returns.

What does innovation and entrepreneurship mean to us?

We see an innovation as a new idea or invention that could have value and impact, within our campus community or in society at large. This could be a scientific invention, or a knowledge-based product or process that contributes to creating sustainable economic growth and social well-being.

All of these pursuits are entrepreneurial in nature, in the sense that success requires a positive perspective with focus on solutions instead of problems. In this way, innovation development demands enthusiasm, creativity, energy and a result-oriented method.

Innovation Mobilization and Partnerships helps innovators transform their ideas into solutions by working together with you to apply entrepreneurial thinking to the process of developing your innovation and bringing it out into the world.

Innovation development support services

At Innovation Mobilization and Partnerships, our experts have broad experience in academia, industry, and networks in the stakeholder community, enabling us to provide relevant direction and advice at all stages of commercialization. We offer learning and innovation tools and support programs, help for key business operations functions, and finance and legal services and support.