What does it take to turn a great idea into a market ready product? This week on AUTM on the Air we have Carmine Denisco, president of the United Inventors Association (UIA) to talk about the journey of independent inventors. With over 100,000 members worldwide the UIA is a non-profit dedicated to providing resources, education and advocacy to inventors and ethical partnerships.
In this episode, Carmine shares valuable advice for tech transfer professionals and inventors. From overcoming intellectual property challenges to manufacturing and commercialization he offers practical tips and real-world examples. He also talks about the importance of slowing down, doing your market research and getting the right support to avoid the common pitfalls.
Whether you’re an independent inventor, an entrepreneur, or part of the innovation ecosystem, this episode is packed with strategies to help you succeed.
In This Episode:
[01:36] The United Inventors Association has been around since the late 1980s. It's also a 501c3 non-profit.
[02:30] The UIA mission is to help empower, educate and give resources and connections to inventors.
[03:25] They have service providers and people who can help traverse the sequence of taking a product from idea to market.
[04:08] Intellectual Property is so important and a great tool.
[05:27] Inventors face many challenges including making sure the idea has legs and education, knowledge, and experience. Talking to the right people can be a challenge.
[08:52] What tech transfer professionals should know about working with individual inventors as opposed to university researchers.
[10:20] Time and balancing everything are our big challenges.
[11:07] There's a time and a sequence for getting a patent. UIA tries to slow things down and put the right IP in the right place.
[14:25] The product needs to be made at the right place for that product at that time.
[15:04] UIA tries to slow things down and find the right places to innovate.
[16:11] UIA works off of donations and volunteers. A lot of inventors give back. They don't charge for membership yet.
[18:22] The role that partnerships play at UIA and how they advocate for inventors.
[19:34] UIA is educating inventors and helping to make connections and offer resources to keep them on track.
[21:25] Advice for universities and institutions to help inventors and students. Take an outside inventor and create a program about that. Get everyone involved from business to marketing.
[24:36] Top educational priorities include checking the market. Educate yourself on the process of taking something to market. Look at legal and know the processes.
[27:19] Carmine talks about outreach programs that have worked well.
[28:25] We learn what the UIA has planned for 2025 and beyond.
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