How can you help your inventors?
Connect your inventors with people in potential markets and do so early in the technology-development process, including:
- End users who can help inventors understand unmet needs.
- End users and prospects who can test early versions and validate the technology’s value proposition.
- Other value-chain players who are critical for translating the invention into a product, manufacturing that product, and/or selling that product. These players can help the inventor understand how to best position the technology for a successful transition to market.
Connect your inventors to target markets by
- Collaborating with them to produce a webinar – an inexpensive way to connect with end users and companies. These are great opportunities to test a technology’s value proposition and get real-time audience feedback (e.g. through interactive Q&A sessions).
- Participating with them in industry trade shows – not the scientific and academic conferences they may typically frequent. Rather, target conferences where potential end users and corporate folks congregate.
Ensure your inventors understand the important questions to ask their target markets, including:
- Does my invention solve a problem the end user faces?
- Will my invention meet the consumer’s performance and cost expectations?
- How might I modify my invention to better meet end-user needs?
- What activities/equipment/costs might be required for scale up to a commercial product?
- How important is intellectual property (IP) protection in this market space?
- How is IP protected in this market space—patent, copyright, trade secret
With over 50 years of experience supporting organizations that fund and develop new technologies, RTI’s Innovation Advisors know the signs of impending “technocide” and how to address them. Watch for part two of my series when I share with you how to engage your inventors in the commercialization process.