It’s never too soon to contact us. We’ll connect with you in an informal, but confidential, discussion about where you are in the tech transfer process and be your resource along the…
Do all faculty, staff, and students at UW-Madison or the Morgridge Institute have to submit (disclose) their invention to WARF?
Yes, university policy and federal statues require all UW-Madison faculty, staff and students to disclose inventions to WARF, regardless of the monies that funded the research. All Morgridge Institute researchers…
What happens after I submit my discovery?
Once you submit your discovery to WARF, you’ll meet with our team for an informal, confidential discussion about the details and possible applications. During this disclosure meeting, we’ll have the chance…
How does WARF evaluate my invention?
WARF’s internal decision committee assess inventions based on many factors, including: Patentability Market dynamics Licensing potential Public benefit Whether WARF can add value We try to make our decisions very…
Who pays the legal costs and fees to secure the patent?
WARF covers all the costs and legal fees for inventions that we accept….
How expensive are patents?
U.S. patents typically cost $20,000 to $40,000. If you add an international portfolio of about 10 patents, that might add more than $100,000 to this cost….
What financial compensation will I receive for my invention?
WARF pays the inventor group 20% of royalty income. WARF shares the royalty income with the inventors without deducting its significant costs in preparing, filing, and managing patent applications on…
What does WARF do with the rest of the royalty income?
Your department receives 15% of the royalties from your invention. After expenses, WARF puts the remaining royalty income in its investment portfolio, where it can benefit the university in perpetuity…
What qualifies as an innovation to disclose to WARF?
Your discovery of any new process, composition or device, or an improvement to an existing process, composition or device, may be defined as an invention. In addition, WARF also has…
Are faculty, staff and students required to assign inventions or intellectual property rights to WARF?
No, UW-Madison faculty, staff and students are not obligated to assign their intellectual property to WARF unless required by federal law or the terms of a UW contract with a…