The Ohio IP Promise

SELECTED: Ohio IP Promise

A collaboration launched by Ohio's former lieutenant governor and the Inter-University Council of Ohio to unite the state's 14 public universities under a forward-thinking approach to intellectual property licensing.

This initiative sets a high standard for IP management to strengthen Ohio’s economy, attract top-tier researchers and draw investors and entrepreneurs through:

  1. Flexibility: Offers options for accessing IP developed through sponsored research.
  2. Transparency: Provides publicly available templates for sponsored research and licensing agreements.
  3. Simplicity: Establishes fair, streamlined guidelines for faculty-founded startups.
  4. Clarity: Clearly communicates licensing processes on university websites.
  5. Ease: Creates defined university entry points for industry, investors and entrepreneurs.
  6. Speed: Minimizes potential barriers to expedite IP transactions.

This patent licensing approach establishes an ecosystem where Ohio universities, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and industries collaborate to bring high-impact innovations to market faster, driving economic growth and promoting quality of life.

Since the Ohio IP Promise was implemented in 2019, UC has seen substantial growth in innovation metrics:

  • Invention disclosures by UC faculty have risen 51% (546 to 823).
  • Patents filed by UC faculty have risen 62% (583 to 944).
  • Patents issued to UC faculty have risen 94% (83 to 161).
  • Deals with UC faculty have risen 109% (from 55 to 115).
  • Startups going through UC's Venture Lab – which helps entrepreneurs explore the commercial potential of products and services – have increased from two per year to an average of 14 annually.
  • Total investment from private firms and grants now exceeds $122 million.