An Invention Disclosure is a confidential document detailing specific information about an invention or development. An Invention Disclosure helps our office do an initial assessment of the patentability and commercial potential of your innovation and determine if a patent or other intellectual property protection may help mitigate the risk of moving your innovation to market.

Download Invention Disclosure Form

1. Download the Invention Disclosure Form (DOCX).
2. When the disclosure form is completed and ready for signature(s), print the form, sign it, and date it. 
3. To submit the form, you may: email a scanned PDF of the completed form to innovate@uvm.edu OR drop off or send via campus mail a signed original copy to: UVM Innovations, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Given e-201, Burlington, Vermont 05405.

Reminder: Each additional inventor needs to complete contact information, sign and date the form before submission.

To submit an Invention Disclosure you will need to provide:

• A detailed description of your invention
• Funding sources to date
• Prior Publications
• Contact Information and Inventorship
• Any Commercial Contracts

The best course of action is to disclose and connect with UVM Innovation as early as possible. Disclosing early will help guide the next steps and preserve the possibility of protecting and commercializing Intellectual Property.

It is important to note that after any public disclosure– including but not limited to conferences and publications– there is a bar to patent protection in the US if the publication occurs more than 1 year before filing the US Patent Application.

Download Invention Disclosure Form (MSWord)