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For students
Working with a technology transfer office
What does the TTO need from me, and when?
An invention disclosure with technical substance, before anything becomes public - and honest answers about who contributed and what has already been shown to whom.
What to bring, and when
Bring it before submission, deposit, preprint or presentation. After any of those, the conversation changes from what can we protect to what is left.
Bring the technical record, not the abstract: the problem, what was tried before, the mechanism with parameters and ranges, the alternatives you considered, where it stops working, and any comparative data.
Bring an honest disclosure history: every talk, poster, preprint, deposit, industry demonstration and email to a company, with dates. This is the single most useful thing you can hand over and the one most often incomplete.
What to expect back
A view on whether the subject matter is patentable at all - section 3 excludes whole categories regardless of novelty. A view on commercial value, which is a different question. And a decision about who files and who pays, which will depend on the institutional policy and any funding terms.
If the TTO declines to file, ask whether the rights can be assigned back to the inventors. Many policies allow it, and an unfiled invention benefits nobody.
What to actually do
- Go to the TTO before anything is public.
- Bring the technical record, not the abstract.
- Bring a complete, dated disclosure history.
- If they decline to file, ask about assignment back to the inventors.
Sources & further reading
- The Patents Act, 1970 (consolidated to 1 August 2024) — Official IP India text
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Educational guidance, not legal advice. This material is published by Ragulika IP for general education and information. It is not legal advice, it does not create a professional-client relationship, and it is not a substitute for advice on your own facts. Patentability, infringement, prosecution strategy and every other IP outcome turn on the specific facts and on the law and Patent Office practice as they stand at the time you act. Please take professional advice before making a decision, and read the underlying provision or judgment before relying on any point stated here.
Last reviewed by Ragulika IP on 2026-08-23. Indian patent law and Patent Office practice change; check the position before you rely on it.