Technology Transfer Cover page Abstract Table of Contents Sections

Glossary of Terms


This glossary clarifies the various terms used in the technology transfer process.


Co-inventor One of two or more inventors working together on a single invention. A listed on a patent must have made an essential contribution to the invention.
Collaborator Any person or organization who shares expertise, facilities, equipment, or financial support necessary for the R & D effort.
Colleague An associate who, through the application of specific knowledge or effort, provides information or assistance in the development of a technology.
Consortium A combination of firms and/or laboratories working toward mutually beneficial goals. The consortium usually consists of organizations that operate in collaboration according to a formally stated agreement.
Cooperating Any independent entity that has an ongoing organization relationship with the R & D laboratory as the result of a written agreement.
Cooperative R & D Agreement A written, binding agreement approved by the General Counsel, reflecting a clear statement of intent between two or more parties. Typically, it specifies the respective contributions or investments of the several parties and describes the rights and obligations that accrue to each with respect to any products, processes, or findings that result from the joint undertaking.
Disclosure The process of reporting an invention in a manner which allows someone familiar with the state-of-the-art to reproduce the technology.
Disclosure Statement The basis by which the agency determines ownership. The VA officially records the nature of an invention, the date invented, the inventor(s), and other information necessary to establish prior claim.
Exchange Sharing of resources among two or more participants. In the context of technology transfer, it suggests informal cooperation and pooling of information, expertise, facilities, technical equipment, financial support, or some combination of these.
Funding Agreement Any contract, grant, or approved Cooperative R & D Agreement entered into between the VA and any contractor for the performance of experimental, developmental, or research work.
Innovation A novel, beneficial change in art or practice.
Invention A finding, process, or product which clearly advances the state of the art or practice and may be patentable.
Inventor An individual who conceives an original idea and reduces it to a finding, process, or product which clearly advances the state of the art or practice.
Investigator A scientist or engineer who is a member of the research and development team, either on the laboratory staff or the staff of a contractor, and who plays a key role (other than as a consultant) in a given project.
Intellectual property rights In the context of laboratory research and development, the rights relating to scientific discoveries and industrial design. Such rights may be expressed in the form of patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights.
Know-how The specialized knowledge required to interpret and apply a finding, perform a process, or develop or manufacture a product.
Lead inventor The inventor with primary responsibility for an invention. The lead inventor normally initiates patent applications. See also inventor.
License A granted right to perform a process or manufacture and sell a product according to certain terms and conditions specified in the licensing agreement.
Licensee The entity (individual or organization) receiving the license.
Licensing Agreement A binding agreement by which a license, either exclusive or non-exclusive, is awarded to a manufacturing or marketing organization by the developer or patent holder.
Licensor The entity (individual or organization) granting the license.
Market (noun) The collective set of presumed or actual buyers or users of a product, process, or finding.
(verb) The process by which a manufacturer or distributor brings a product to the attention of potential buyers and makes it available to them.
Patent A legal declaration of rights to ownership for an invention within a national jurisdiction and issued by the government of that nation.
Practical application This means to manufacture, in the case of a product; to practice, in the case of a process or method; or operate, in the case of a machine or system.
Principal The key or lead investigator with primary responsibility Investigator responsibility for the project.
Subject invention An invention that is conceived or first reduced to practice in the performance of a contract.
Technology Products, processes, or related findings that are tangible, reproducible, and scientific or technical in nature.
Transfer A flow of technology in a direction typically from the laboratory to the field. In the context of research and development of products within the VA, transfer implies manufacture and distribution.
Transfer Officer An individual within a laboratory who is designated, by the laboratory director, as the responsible person for encouraging, monitoring, and facilitating technology transfer.
Technology Transfer Cover page Abstract Table of Contents Sections