• Working With the USC Intellectual Property Office
• Working With the Industry Contracts Unit
• Developing Technologies from the USC Technology Incubator
• Innovista: USC's Intellectual Ecosystem and Research Campus
• Centenary Hiring Plan
   
• Available Technologies from the IP Office
• Agreements, Disclosures, and Forms
   

As investors, you have the opportunity to assist in the foundation and development of USC technologies -- new and innovative research products that have a distinct potential to provide a competitive edge and high financial returns for your business.  Due to their early stage of development in the University atmosphere, investing in new technologies can be a risky and resource-intensive venture. 

The USC Intellectual Property Office functions to provide investors from large and small companies alike with the counsel necessary to reap the full benefits of technology licensure.  Our office has professionals in contractual licensing, financial negotiations, patent management, and technology marketing.  Our goal is to assist you in the process of licensing technologies from University of South Carolina.

The IP Office will set up meetings and presentations with faculty inventors, potential investors, and IP specialists to discuss the licensing opportunities for a specific technology.  We will take an active role in ensuring that all parties -- investors, inventors, and the University -- are protected and accounted-for in the licensing process.

One of the most efficient ways to introduce USC technologies to investors is through the publishing of Technology Briefs, one-to-two page overviews of technologies available for licensing.  Briefs provide an description of the technology, potential areas of use, advantages over current products, validation and testing, future development, and patent information. Go to  Available Technologies to see our categorized listing of over 275 licensing opportunities. 

Click here to contact our intellectual property experts.
 

The Industry Contracts Unit provides a dedicated staff to assist research faculty in reaching agreement with industry and other commercial organizations desiring to sponsor research projects at the University. The goal of the Industry Contracts Unit is to facilitate the acquisition and administration of industry contracts and other industry related agreements to benefit the University, the Sponsor, Society and the economic development of South Carolina.

Resource specialties are negotiating industry contracts, which include research agreements, SBIR/STTR subcontracts, Intellectual Property Allocation Agreements, and other industry sponsored agreements that can provide solutions to sponsor's needs, while enhancing economic development and growth in South Carolina.

The University of South Carolina has a multitude of research areas from which an industry partner can choose and numerous faculty members are recognized leaders in their chosen fields of research. An industry partner can greatly benefit from sponsoring university research in an area of interest to the industry partner. Furthermore, this partnership enables the industry partner to evaluate the progress of the research while simultaneously developing productive relationships with faculty members. In addition, the industry partner obtains priority access to technologies that result from its sponsored research and builds lasting relationships with USC students.

Although there are many types of industrial contracts related to sponsored research, the research agreement is the most commonly used agreement by the University in its sponsored research endeavors with industry.  For more information, contact Greg Howell at gregh@gwm.sc.edu
or (803) 777-1119.
 

The USC Columbia Technology Incubator is a nationally-recognized program that provides physical space, resources, and information for USC faculty, staff, and students in commercializing their ideas to produce successful, financially viable and freestanding businesses.  The Incubator provides an excellent resource for investors who are looking for small start-up companies to acquire or to provide assistance in the development of technologies offered by these companies.  As of February 2006, 37 companies providing hundreds of new and innovative technologies have graduated from the program.  Visit the USC Technology Incubator website to learn more about the technologies available.
 

The Centenary Plan (CP) was initiated in 2004 and seeks the recruitment of at least 100 new faculty who will be expected to conduct quality research and attract external funding to support their scholarly activities. Funding through CP will provide partial support (up to $200,000 per hire) towards each position for a period not to exceed three years. More information about the procedures required to receive funding can be found at the Office of the Vice President. 

Innovista is a new campus in downtown Columbia that provides world-class research facilities, centers to integrate public and private sector research, and a contemporary urban landscape with residential, retail, and restaurant spaces.  The Innovista campus is part of a new trend of mixed-use communities and will help set the standard for USC research and campus design for the next 100 years.  Innovista will encompass over 200 acres of land with 5 million square feet of research labs.

A major Innovista element is the development of high-tech research centers for biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, nanotechnology, and advanced fuel technologies known as Future Fuels.

The Innovista campus will provide unparalleled opportunities for investors who are interested in licensing emerging technologies from USC labs.  Visit the Innovista website.