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Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Where are you located?
  2. What is an invention?
  3. How do I disclose an invention?
  4. Why would I disclose my invention to CCTEC?
  5. When do I disclose my invention to CCTEC?
  6. How is CCTEC related to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RASP) ?
  7. How do I locate and reach a member of the CCTEC staff?

If your question is not answered here, please contact us at cctecconnect@cornell.edu


1) Where are you located?

CCTEC has two offices, one in Ithaca and one in Manhattan. The Ithaca office is located at 395 Pine Tree Road, Suite 310 in Ithaca, NY 14850 to serve the Ithaca campus and the Agriculture Experimental Station in Geneva. The Manhattan office is located at 418 East 71st St., Suite 61, New York, NY 10021 to serve the Weill Cornell Medical College. For more information about our location and directions, visit our contact page.

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2) What is an invention?

An invention is a novel creation, discovery, and/or idea. It may be (but does not have to be) protected by US or international intellectual property rights such as patent rights, plant variety protection certificates, and/or plant breeder's rights. Some inventions, when tangible, also enjoy physical property right protection.

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3) How do I disclose an invention?

A disclosure form can be downloaded from CCTEC's website. You can fill out with details and email or paper-mail it back to us. Visit our contact page for information. The disclosure form asks you for a written description of the invention (you can append to it additional manuscripts, explanatory drawings, and supporting data etc.), who sponsored the work from which the invention arises, who may be co-inventors, what do you think the invention can do, and what businesses may use the invention etc. After you disclose your invention, a CCTEC licensing professional will contact you do discuss your invention within two months (the delay is because the licensing professional needs to spend some time to research what you disclose prior to having a meaningful discussion with you).

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4) Why would I disclose my invention to CCTEC?

Under Cornell's policy inventions created by any person who holds a Cornell appointment or who uses Cornell resources to perform work that leads to the invention must disclose the invention to CCTEC so that CCTEC may determine whether Cornell should own the invention and/or whether there are obligations to the sponsor(s), if any, of the work.

For example, if your work from which the invention arises is funded by the US government, the University must notify the federal agency that funds your work within two months of your disclosure to the University. The agency must also be notified of the acceptance for publication of any manuscript describing the invention, and of any sale or public use of the invention. Failure to do so would cause the University to breach the research contract that the university enters into on your behalf with the federal agency and may affect future funding.

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5) When do I disclose my invention to CCTEC?

A disclosure should be filed as soon as you believe you have made a new discovery or you have conceived of a new idea. Additional material can be added as the details of your invention evolve. Your disclosure serves as the first official record of your discovery or conception and that helps to protect your invention as well as recognizing your contribution to the field.

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6) How is CCTEC related to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (RASP) ?

CCTEC and the RASP in Manhattan at the Weill Cornell Medical College are separate administrative offices of Cornell.

OSP and RASP negotiate with sponsors (both government and private) and administer the resultant contracts that provide funding to support research, extension and other academic activities at Cornell.

CCTEC's primary responsibility is the management of the property and the related rights that result from such activities to advance the land grant missions of the university.

Often the sponsors, as a condition of providing the funding, demand that the property and the related rights that may arise of the funded activities be disposed of in specific manners. When that happens, CCTEC and OSP or RASP will work together to ensure that the contracts being negotiated would be in compliant of Cornell policies and applicable laws, not compromise the academic principles of the university, and also be sufficiently manageable given the administrative infrastructure at Cornell. That's the reason occasionally you may find CCTEC providing input to some of sponsored contracts being negotiated.

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7) How do I locate and reach a member of the CCTEC staff?

To find the name, responsibilities and contact information of CCTEC staff members, please go to our staff web page.

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