Why TTOs should treat first-time disclosures with care: Stanford study insight

A few months ago, Stanford’s Office of Technology Licensing published a study by economist Kate Reinmuth in the Stanford Journal of Law, Economics & Business that examined something academics often worry about: Does commercialization hurt the integrity of academic research?

Reinmuth looked at about 2,700 Stanford inventors who disclosed inventions after the year 2000. She split them into two groups: inventors whose first disclosure got licensed successfully and inventors whose disclosures never licensed. Then she measured what happened to their publication records — how many papers they published in the years before and after disclosure.

What she found: Controlling for selection effects, inventors who successfully licensed their first disclosure published approximately 0.6 additional papers in the fifth year after disclosure compared to the control group. That’s about a 26% increase in average annual publication rate. The study also found spillover effects: coauthors of the inventors who licensed also published more, suggesting the benefit extends across research groups through collaborations and shared resources.

Our top takeaways from this study of licensing’s effect on research

The study demonstrates a symbiotic relationship between licensing and research productivity. Successful commercialization brings inventors sponsored research agreements, industry partnerships, and resources that amplify their work. Rather than detracting from research, intellectual property becomes a lever for advancing the university’s mission.

Beyond affirmation that tech transfer and commercialization are worthy investments, the Tradespace team thought this study offered another exciting insight: That first disclosures are a special opportunity for TTOs to engage with inventors. This is when an inventor first engages with your office — when they’re most attentive and most open to understanding how technology transfer works.

Early positive interactions create lasting relationships with researchers who become reliable partners in your technology transfer efforts. The Stanford study shows that inventors who license their first disclosure go on to be more productive researchers with broader collaborations. That productivity boost starts with how you handle the first-time discloser’s initial experience. Below, we’ll discuss how to make that moment count.

Setting the tone for an entire inventor relationship at first disclosure

When a first-time inventor discloses something, they’re entering a process they probably don’t fully understand with people they don’t know. What happens next has a disproportionate effect on whether they become a reliable, repeat partner or a one-time submitter who never engages again.

Instead of routing first disclosures through the standard evaluation funnel, flag them for special attention. Give the inventor meaningful feedback early — not months later, but within days. This signals that their work is worth your time. Celebrate the disclosure itself, not just as a submission but as their first, and the start of a new relationship. A simple “we’re excited to see this” goes further than you might think.

Communicate clearly about what’s happening and why it matters — not just to your office, but to their research trajectory. Explain the technology transfer process in terms they understand. Walk them through timelines. Help them see how licensing could amplify their research impact. Most inventors have no idea how commercialization actually works. Your job at this moment is education just as much as it is evaluation.

Reach out to first-time disclosers before their first invention

Many TTOs operate in receive mode: disclosures come in and you evaluate them. But as I’ve discussed before, I recommend going to inventors first. Do this with first-time inventors by “following the funding” — identifying promising early-career researchers by looking at research grants.

BioVentures, the tech transfer office at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, wrote the playbook on proactive inventor outreach and engagement. Instead of waiting for inventors to figure out the system, they hired someone — a fellow faculty member — full-time to build an outreach program.

The strategy: Use regular communication through channels researchers already access like LinkedIn, newsletters, and events. Build relationships with department leaders and campus communications teams to amplify the message. Host educational seminars on topics faculty care about. Engage students early, because they often have great ideas and fewer institutional barriers.

Make disclosure easy by breaking down the process and ditching the forms

If you’re going to reach out proactively, you also need to make disclosure easy.

Most invention disclosure forms are designed by lawyers thinking about what they need to know to make a patenting decision. The result is a long, painful, overly comprehensive submission process that acts as a filter for ideas both bad and good and stifles exchange. And it especially filters first-time submitters who are already uncertain whether this is worth their time.

Break it into stages. Let a first-time inventor submit something lightweight — a page of notes, a voice memo, a few slides. Something that takes ten minutes. Then, you take on the onus of doing the work: analyzing it, clarifying what’s novel, putting it in perspective relative to the landscape, and figuring out if it’s worth pursuing further. Then, if it makes sense, you can ask for the deeper details that would go in a legacy form.

First disclosures shape inventor relationships

The Stanford study demonstrates that commercialization can enhance research productivity. The first disclosure is also an important moment. When a researcher discloses for the first time, they’re forming impressions about your office and whether technology transfer is worth their time.

Treating first disclosures thoughtfully — with timely feedback, clear communication, and genuine interest — increases the likelihood they’ll disclose again. It helps them understand commercialization as a legitimate part of their research practice. And it contributes to building better faculty relationships over time.

The practical steps are straightforward: identify promising early-career researchers through funding data. Reach out before they have something to disclose. Make the disclosure process simple. Provide clear feedback and education. These investments in an inventor’s first disclosure experience will create the foundation for even more partnership.