Innovation and Creation in Action!

Whatever your creativity or research ambitions, we have the breadth and depth to make the most of them. We want you to become the kind of problem-solver who always thinks bigger and whose ingenuity is driven by compassion and empathy.

We feel fortunate to be entrusted with your goals and we want to encourage and nurture Duquesne faculty, staff and students' innovative thinking and entrepreneurship spirit.

We are dedicated to help anyone seeking to make a difference in society by pursuing their innovations and creations.

Do you have a creation or innovation

If you have an idea, creation or innovation, please fill out the form and email it to healeye@duq.edu

Investing in innovators and creators

We are here to assist with bringing new technologies to society by negotiating commercial licensing agreements, helping create new ventures, fostering social entrepreneurship, and facilitating investments in promising discoveries and technologies.

By investing in innovators and creators, our goal is to extend the University's impact on the future of academic research and education by fostering academic collaborations and relationships with industry and community partners.

These collaborations and relationships have led to and can further generate many beneficial real-world technologies including treatments for cancer and infectious diseases, vaccines, cyber security, forensic science, and environmental applications.

The development of research innovation, creative works, and other forms of intellectual property into successful products or commercial uses can be achieved through intellectual property protection and technology transfer.

If you wish to discuss your innovations or creations and explore intellectual property and technology transfer opportunities

Intellectual Property

There are 4 types of intellectual property rights:

Patents protect inventive concepts and ideas, designs, and plants

A technology to be patentable must be novel, useful, and non-obvious. Some examples of patentable subject matter include devices, apparatus, systems, methods, processes, compounds, formulations, therapies, designs, and some plants

Copyrights protect original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression

Some examples of copyrightable materials include software, media, artistic or written works, instructional materials, videos, survey, training modules, and clinical protocols

Trademarks protect names or symbols identifying products or services

To be trademarkable, a mark should be distinctive and used in commerce. Once legally obtained, trademarks are protected by law for as long as they are in use. Some examples of trademarks include company logos, brand names, color, packaging, and slogans

Trade secrets protect information that is not known by others

Protection of trade secrets lasts as long as the information remains secret. Some examples of trade secrets include secret recipes, formulas, algorithms, and industrial processes

Technology Transfer

Our goal is to help bring Duquesne research and technology to society and we will work with innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors toward developing partnerships and transferring knowledge from lab to market.

Generally, innovation developed at the University may fall into two categories: a well-developed technology close to being useable by an established industry or a very new technology outside of what is commonly found in the marketplace. In the case of the former, this type of technology may thrive when developed further by existing companies. The pursuit of licensing options with those established companies would be advantageous in this case. In the case of the latter, the risk and demands related to developing the technology may be too much for an established company, and an exclusive license to a new start-up company would be a strategic alternative.

We will start marketing the University innovation once the patent application has been filed with the Patent and Trademark Office, as this will allow a proper evaluation of the commercial potential of the associated intellectual property. At this stage, we can provide interested companies with publications or marketing packages describing the technology. We will also regularly invite each innovator or creator to review the technology and describe any developments that may affect the technology value and marketability. In cases where the technology is especially cutting-edge or in its early developmental phase, an extended timetable will be considered to fully evaluate the commercial potential and value of the invention.

Contact Us

If you wish to explore technology transfer opportunities or if you have any questions about the patentability of your research or about copyrights, trademarks, or trade secret issues, please contact us

Elisabeth Healey, PhD, JD

Elizabeth Healey