Undergraduate students are increasingly engaged in developing products and technologies that are commercially viable outside of the university through their involvement in courses and experiential programs focused on product design and/or entrepreneurship. Discussions at engineering and entrepreneurship conferences suggest that: 1) undergraduates are increasingly involved in activities that warrant interaction with university technology transfer offices, and 2) that many faculty members and program administrators do not feel prepared to counsel students in IP matters. The involvement of undergraduates in intellectual property protection leads to interesting questions related to how best to align student interests with institutional policies and practices since most are not employed by their universities in the way that faculty and many graduate students are. This presentation will summarize the results of two surveys, one conducted by the presenters and one by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM), the intent of which was to: 1) understand the scope of involvement of undergraduates in intellectual property protection and technology transfer; 2) identify major challenges faced by university technology transfer professionals when dealing with undergraduate students; and 3) examine technology transfer professionals’ views on approaches and best practices. The presenters will discuss the results, future areas for research, and opportunities for collaboration between NCIIA and AUTM.
