BOSTON COLLEGE – OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND LICENSING
PRELIMINARY COMMERCIAL ASSESSMENT FOR DISCUSSION
Confidential – Do Not Distribute
IR#
e.g. 200X.0XX/3 initials
TLO Initials
Date Received
From the Invention Report:
Potential Inventor(s)
List names (PI in BOLD)
Descriptive Title
From the Invention Report
Category / Subcategory
Use Technology Codes
Additional keywords
Relevant search terms
0. Non-confidential
description for an
educated generalist
Succinct 5-10 lines addressing the following:
 What is the opportunity / unmet need?
 What is the technology?
 What element of the solution does the technology provide?
o e.g. new target? new assay? new compound? new diagnostic?
Author Initials
Note: Use ‘technology’ rather than ‘invention’ wherever possible
1. Technology Details
Bullet point description of the science:
 What was is the scientific context? What was already known in the field?
 What was the discovery / contribution to previous knowledge?
 What is the current supporting data? (e.g. in vitro, simulations, etc.)
 What follow-on experiments are planned? (if discussed)
2. Potential Applications
Outline how this invention could be applied as a product or a service that
addresses a commercial need
Leverage the ideas in the invention report, but also try to think creatively
Feel free to include multiple uses for the invention
 Qualify potential downstream applications (e.g. If inhibitors to this target are
found, they could be of therapeutic relevance in osteoporosis and diabetes)
3. Market Landscape
Brief statement to define the relevant market (e.g. Though this technology may
find use in multiple applications, this analysis will focus on the market for …)
Market Size and Growth
 Who are the customers?
o How many users? What is the prevalence? incidence?
 What is the size and value of the available market?
o What are revenues from current products?
Competitive Landscape
 How is the market segmented? What are the dominant segments?
 Who are the key players? Is market power fragmented or concentrated?
 What have been recent trends? (e.g. acquisitions? Licensing deals?)
Note: For aspects of the market that are well-defined, provide quantitative data
where possible. When a market is ambiguous or non-existent, provide a
qualitative description. DO NOT include data that is irrelevant (e.g. drug sales if
the technology is a research assay; total semiconductor sales for a
manufacturing process improvement.)
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BOSTON COLLEGE – OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND LICENSING
4. Potential Competition
Marketed Products
Product name (Company). Brief description of the product and revenues for
each. Reserve company descriptions for Appendix I.
Products in development

Product name (Company). Stage of development. Brief description or
therapeutic indication for clinical trials.
Research activity (optional)
Note labs, institutes, non-profits (if any) with similar area of focus. Reserve
journal publications and abstracts for Appendix II.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Avoid unqualified and / or negative comparisons of the
invention to other products / approaches!
If there are points of differentiation worth noting:
 Focus on the merit of the invention and the defects of the competition.
 Avoid statements that narrowly describe either the operation of the
invention or the benefits of the invention over the competition
5. Key Commercialization
Challenges
Note: This is perhaps the most important section for the discussion. Allow
ample time for reflection – your input is greatly valued.
Questions to consider:
 Are the potential applications clear?
 What advantages need to be established relative to current options?
 Are additional data / development required?
 How might the customers or competitive environment evolve?
Remember, this assessment will be shared with faculty. Phrasing concerns as
specific questions makes them easier to address.
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Appendix I: Profiles of Relevant Companies (recommended target ~10)
Company Name &
Country
Company Description
Rationale for Interest
Email Contact
e.g.
e.g.
e.g.
Additional Companies of Interest:



Major pharmaceutical companies (e.g. Pfizer, GSK, Merck, Novartis, etc.)
Major medical equipment manufacturers (e.g. Siemens, GE, Philips, etc.)
Major high tech companies (e.g. Intel, IBM, Cisco, etc.)
See ‘Guide to Company Research’
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Appendix II: Relevant Patent & Publication Search Results (recommended max. 6)
Publication Details
Author(s) / Inventor(s)
Assignees(s)
Patent number
Filing date
Inventor(s)
Assignee(s)
Cut-and-paste from abstract and claims. Bold /
highlight key passages.
Journal
Volume / Issue
Page numbers
Author(s)
University? (optional)
Cut-and-paste from text available. Bold / highlight key
passages.
Web site (e.g. conference
abstract)
Date (if known)
Presenter(s)
University? (optional)
Hyperlink
Title
Relevant Excerpts / Hyperlink
Basic advice:




Start with search on the inventor. Look for previous related disclosures and / or common citations.
Narrow key word searches by title if possible
Check for other patents that cite the same references
Search all known names and abbreviations, esp. for compounds and genes
Recommended resources:



Patents: Google Patent, USPTO, WIPO,
Publications: PubMed, SciFinder, lab web site, abstracts from industry conferences
General: Google, Wikipedia
See ‘Guide to Patent & Publication Searching’
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