Admittedly, the title is a little “cheese ball” but the past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity in the Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization (ORPC) as staff members have been involved in numerous events that promote the visibility and mission of our office. 

Since the formulation of the patent system, with the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1787, the U.S. has focused on awarding a patent to the first inventor to invent. Recently in 2011, President Obama signed into law the America Invents Act (AIA) that changes the preexisting first-to-invent system into a first-inventor-to-file structure. This was an effort to harmonize the U.S. patent system with the European and other patent systems around the world that already use the first-to-file structure.

In collaboration with the Office for Research Partnerships and Commercialization and the UNH Music Department, we would like to welcome Peter McGovern and Dr. Catherine McGovern, experts on copyright, entertainment, and music law.

The McGoverns will be conducting a special presentation for students and faculty on Tuesday, September 25, 2012, from 12:40 – 2:00pm in Bratton Hall, M-135. The general subject of this presentation will be copyright issues and laws as they relate to arts in general and to music in particular.

While walking around campus to hand deliver invitations to our second Annual Inventors Dinner, either along the way or upon arrival to my destination, the response was “what a nice touch, personal delivery, I get to actually meet you face to face”.  Most days I spend a lot of time communicating via email, voice mail, web posts, Google alerts and when brave, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and texting.  It’s amazing how much can be transacted with these technology-based devices.

The Office for Research Partnerships & Commercialization is excited to kick-off the Innovation Catalyst Seminar Series for the Fall 2012 – Spring 2013 academic year.  Hosted monthly, the Series allows for the discussion of issues and case studies, led by experienced speakers, that are common interest and relevant to technology invention and commercialization.  The idea for this informative series was first introduced to UNH in early 2011 by Marc Sedam, Executive Director, as a way to increase the awareness and understanding of the role that intellectual property plays in foste

UNHCEMS^® is UNH’s self-developed barcode-based software system to record and manage information about the quantity, location and properties of chemicals, biological agents, radioactive materials, and hazardous wastes throughout campus. 

After a recent survey of UNHCEMS^® software users at other institutions and the overwhelmingly positive feedback received, UNH hit the road to encourage other colleges and universities to implement our system.   

Creative Works is a sometimes-overlooked area at educational institutions with strong technology-based research programs. Generally, a creative work is one that results in a piece of artwork, literature, music, curriculum, evaluation tool, or software being developed. Faculty, staff, and students at UNH are regularly developing Creative Works. ORPC has placed a new focus on this area of scholarship and looks at the best way to protect, manage, and deliver innovative Creative Works to the public.