The Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) has established a procedure to be followed in the event an Honors College student is working with a faculty member on a thesis project involving a technology with commercial potential. The intent of the procedure is to allow the student to complete the requirements of a thesis project while protecting the university’s intellectual property.
- OTC will meet with the student and the faculty member to discuss the nature of the project and the effect of public disclosure on patentability. If appropriate, the student will be asked to sign UM’s standard confidentiality agreement to protect the intellectual property.
- The faculty member will be asked to keep OTC informed during the project to help determine if/when a provisional patent application should be considered for filing in accordance with UM’s Patent and Invention Policy.
- Since the Honors College thesis presentation is open to the public, OTC will either file a provisional patent application before the presentation or ask the student not to present confidential information. Attendees will not be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement.
- If necessary due to patent prosecution timing, OTC will send the Honors College a letter requesting that the student’s thesis not be sent for binding. OTC will notify the Honors College when it is appropriate to send the thesis for binding and to display the bound copy in the Honors College.