The Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (OIPTT) and the Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc. (ISURF), reporting to the Vice President for Economic Development, work in concert to facilitate and enhance the inventive and creative works of Iowa State University’s employees and students, and to transfer these works for the benefit of society. Additionally, under Iowa State University’s contract with the U.S. Department of Energy, ISURF manages intellectual property protection and licensing for the Ames Laboratory.
Transferring embryonic research results to the marketplace requires an industry partner willing to invest in the commercial development and marketing of products resulting from the research. ISURF uses available legal avenues to protect and to add value to these works, thereby providing incentives for industry to make further investments. OIPTT strives to find those industry partners and works to meet the needs of both parties to provide the rights through licensing in order to carry out that process.
