A program has been developed by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and National Institute of Standards and Technology/Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP) that will allow users to evaluate their awareness of intellectual property, and identify areas where the user may need more information or training in order to manage intellectual property effectively.
While the program is intended for small businesses, entrepreneurs and independent inventors, the assessment should also prove useful for academic and other non-profit institutions that conduct research, but have not generated significant technology transfer results. This presents an opportunity for researchers, as well as technology transfer staff, to open themselves to new opportunities, and may reveal additional intellectual property assets that might not otherwise have been disclosed and developed.
