UMass Boston

The services we provide include the following:

• Assist with invention disclosures and patent filings
• Assess the commercial potential of new discoveries and inventions
• Develop commercialization strategies tailored to your technology
• Identify licensing opportunities and negotiate terms on your behalf
• Advise on and support the formation of start-up companies
• Draft and manage Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs), and other legal agreements
• Ensure compliance with federal regulations governing university technology transfer

Before You Go Public — Talk to Us First
If you've made a discovery, reach out to CVIP before sharing details with anyone outside the university. Disclosing an invention prematurely — even informally — can jeopardize your ability to file a patent and may forfeit a potential revenue stream for you and your lab. A Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) can protect your invention when outside collaboration is necessary.

From Disclosure to Patent
When CVIP determines that a patent is the right path forward, your Invention Disclosure is forwarded to external patent counsel, who prepares and files the application on the university's behalf.

Licensing & Commercialization
CVIP takes the lead on commercializing your technology. We develop a licensing strategy, set financial goals, and build a profile of potential licensees — including industry contacts you recommend. From there, we reach out to qualified companies to gauge their interest and capacity to bring the technology to market.

Your expertise is invaluable throughout this process. We keep you informed at every stage, while CVIP handles agreement drafting, negotiations, and execution of final contracts.

Please contact the CVIP office to request one of the following forms:

• Invention Disclosure Form
• Software Disclosure Form

Contact CVIP

What is technology transfer?
Technology transfer is the process of moving technologies and other research findings from the laboratory into corporate product development. Our goal is to bring the benefits of UMass Boston research to the public in the form of new products and services.

What research might have commercial value?
Many of the outcomes of academic research might have commercial value, which the university might wish to protect with patents or copyrights. Patentable inventions might include novel biological or chemical molecules, new textiles or other materials, innovative engineering or electronic systems, and new methods for performing commercially-useful functions. Other technologies, such as computer software, might be protected with a copyright.

What should I do if I think my research has led to an important result?
Any faculty, staff or students who have developed potentially commercializable research results should fill out a confidential Invention Disclosure Form (DOCX) and submit it to the UMass Boston CVIP office for review. The office will work with you to determine if the university wishes to protect the invention, and to work with you to identify the best ways to try to commercialize the invention.

What are my obligations to the university?
All faculty, staff and students are subject to the university’s Intellectual Property Policy, which specifies that most inventions (other than certain student inventions) are obligated to be assigned to the university. If the university decides to pursue the invention, we do so at the university’s expense, but any revenue in the form of royalties, license fees, etc. are shared with the inventors. If the university decides not to proceed, in most cases the rights to the invention can be returned to the inventor.

Rebecca Menapace
Technology Transfer Specialist

Rebecca Menapace is seasoned innovation and technology transfer professional with over two decades of experience in life sciences, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property management.

Prior to joining UMass Boston, she served as the Associate Provost for Innovation and Executive Director of the Office of Technology Licensing and the Hassenfeld Family Innovation Center at Brandeis University. At Brandeis, Menapace led initiatives that bridged academic research with industry applications, overseeing programs that supported researchers and inventors in commercializing their innovations, including evaluating invention disclosures, managing intellectual property, and facilitating licensing deals. Before Brandeis, Menapace was the Director of Research Ventures and Licensing at Partners HealthCare.

She also has experience in the biotech startup sector, where she contributed to significant discoveries leading to patents and played a key role in successful acquisition negotiations. Menapace holds a Master of Business Administration from Northeastern University’s High-Tech MBA program and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology with a concentration in Chemistry from SUNY Oswego.

She is a registered patent agent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.