Disclosing an invention, creation or software

Before you initiate the disclosure process, the careful reading of the following documents is advised:

• IST’s Intellectual Property Policy;
• FAQ’s about IST’s Intellectual Property;
• Information Packages:

• Protection of Inventions
• Filing an Application
• Prior Art Search
• Detailed Information
• Software

If you have any questions about the disclosure process, you may contact the Intellectual Property Unit at: pi@tecnico.ulisboa.pt

About the Disclosure Process

1. The disclosure form has two parts, both of which are required to be filled in. Part A provides basic information about the inventors, creators or authors and about the disclosure object. Part B allows initiating the assessment of whether IST is interested in protecting the disclosed information. The invention disclosure form must be signed by all the inventors, creators or authors.
2. Each of the inventors, creators or authors must fill in, date and sign the Compulsory Declaration, using the same date as in the disclosure form.
3. The invention disclosure form and the compulsory declarations (as well as any optional declaration or the agreement, whenever applicable) must be submitted to IST’s Technology Transfer Office (TT@IST), to the attention of the Intellectual Property Unit.
4. Documents referred to in item 20 of the invention disclosure form must be sent by the inventor, creator or author #1 to pi@tecnico.ulisboa.pt, with the subject “Communication”.  Scanned documents of the invention disclosure form and declarations may also be attached in the same e-mail (as delivered to TT@IST), to accelerate the process.
5. In case the Intellectual Property Unit does not consider the communication of invention, creation or software complete, the inventors, creators or authors will be contacted in order to complete the provided information.
6. After receiving the complete information, the Intellectual Property Unit may invite the inventors, creators or authors for a meeting to accelerate the assessment of IST’s interest in protecting the disclosed information. The presence of all inventors, creators or authors is not necessary in this meeting.
7. The assessment process will include legal, technological and commercial due diligence, to be carried out by the Intellectual Property Unit and by the inventors, creators or authors.
8. With the support of the inventors, creators or authors during the assessment process, IST will decide to proceed, or not, with the legal protection of the disclosed information within a maximum of 30 days after the reception of the complete information and will inform IST’s  inventors or creators concerning the possibility of publication of results related to the invention, creation or software.
9. If IST decides to proceed with the legal protection of those results, the elaboration and management of the application process begins, the submission of which may be filed several weeks after the above mentioned decision. During this stage, the inventors, creators or authors must collaborate with the Intellectual Property Unit and keep the confidentiality related to the subject-matter to protect.
10. The inventors, creators or authors must inform the coordinator of the research unit, mentioned in IST’s Statutes, which they are associated with or which are relevant to the disclosure, that they will submit an invention, creation or software in compliance with IST’s Intellectual Property Policy.
11. In the cases of associated research units, item 4 of the Disclosure Form must be filled in and the coordinator of the research unit must sign the form.
12. Regardless of the type of research unit, its coordinator must also sign the Disclosure Form in case the indicated percentages of contribution to the invention are different.