The Office of Technology Transfer has launched their new on-line system, Rice Innovation Management System (RIMS), to allow researchers at Rice to disclose their research innovations electronically.

This new technology is the first step that professors take to turning their inventions into a product or service. By using the new system, faculty members will be able to reap some of the financial benefits of their inventions, create opportunities to receive additional funding for research and also helps them coordinate with other researchers if there is more than one group working on an invention.

The new system is available for Rice faculty, staff, and students and can be accessed through the OTT website (http://ott.rice.edu). All submissions to RIMS create instant connections to the Office of Technology Transfer on a secured server. The new system allows Rice University to increase the time for disclosing new software disclosures and to help speed up the process of filing patent applications for technologies to meet various deadlines.

"This is going to expand the services that we provide to the Rice community," said Daryl Boudreaux, director of the Office of Technology Transfer. Founded in 1998, the Office of Technology Transfer was established as an outreach program to help researchers protect and commercialize their intellectual property. Rice’s policy requires all inventions and software to be disclosed to the university through OTT.

OTT handles all aspects of obtaining and receiving U.S. and foreign patents, trademarks, copywriting and licensing. The office has already assisted with eight start-up companies that have raised over $43 million. It has also secured nearly $1.25 million in income and reimbursements back to Rice.

The office works with researchers from the earliest stages of new discoveries, including working on research conducted by Rice and other corporations. After a decision is made to file for patent protection on a Rice invention, the OTT manages all aspects of the process of moving the technology to the commercial sector. For start-ups, the OTT can advise them on various issues related to corporate structure or governance. To learn more about the OTT, go to their home page at http://ott.rice.edu or call (713) 348-6201.