Submit Your Idea
Submit Your Idea via our Invention Portal.
An idea can be an invention, software, copyright or a research tool (reagent). Once logged in the Inventor Portal with your NetID, you will need to choose the best idea type:
- Use the Invention Disclosure Form for anything that is not software, copyright or research tools.
- Use the Software Disclosure Form for source code and other software components.
- Use the Copyright Disclosure Form for ideas such as artistic, literary work or written tests.
For questions regarding which disclosure form to complete for software (invention vs. software), please read FAQs for Software and Other Copyrightable Works and the Inventor Portal FAQs or contact us at INVODisclosure@northwestern.edu.
Parts of a disclosure form
- Invention title
- Inventors: Enter all inventors' names, as well as the inventors' current school and department affiliation.
Not to be confused with authorship, inventorship applies to everyone who contributed to the conception of an idea. See What is Inventorship? for a full definition of inventorship and to understand why identifying all inventors is critical. - Sources of funds: List all funding sources and grant numbers, which must be accurate. Include subcontract information if applicable.
- Marketing abstract: Describe your invention, as well as its relevance, applications and advantages in a less technical manner.
- Description of invention: Provide a technical description that will be used by the Intellectual Property team and outside counsel to understand what makes your invention distinct from other inventions.
- Public disclosures: List all disclosures (including journal articles, conference abstracts, oral and poster presentations, disclosures to industry and grant proposals) and their dates.
- Discovery information: Provide details of your discovery, including when, where and how it was conceived and documented.
- Prior art: List any other inventions that are similar to yours. This will help our team differentiate yours from others in your field.
- Commercialization insights: Describe the problem or unmet need that your invention solves or addresses, as well as potential licenses. This will help develop a commercialization plan for the technology.
- Inventor information: Provide complete information on each inventor, including address and phone numbers, citizenship and employee ID number. Leaving these fields incomplete will delay form processing.
The completed and signed form (electronic signatures are accepted) should be submitted through the portal. If you experience any issues completing the form, contact invodisclosure@northwestern.edu.
What's next?