The Mission of www.IPAdvocate.org is important: we want to alert faculty scientists and student researchers to the hazards that lie along the path between invention and commercialization. We want to encourage the conveyance of academic discovery and innovation to the public while preserving the rights of the inventors.

IP Advocate encourages adoption of industry-wide best practices, transparent operations, open communication, a spirit of cooperation and mutual understanding between the university, its technology transfer office and its researchers and legislative support for these critical issues.

Consistent technology transfer practices will ensure innovations reach their intended audience promptly. Today, the process varies from institution to institution, so IP Advocate is dedicated to helping academic researchers preserve their rights in their work and to cultivating a community that focuses on safeguarding the interests of faculty inventors.

IP Advocate has accumulated numerous and varied resources to equip and inform university researchers and all other interested parties regarding university technology transfer and intellectual property policies, processes and procedures.

A storehouse of authoritative information on laws, litigation and other current events related to intellectual property issues, a glossary ranging from basic intellectual property terminology to more complex contractual terminology and case studies from universities nationwide are just some of the tools available on the website.

An interactive forum encourages and enables open discussion and active participation within the online community, where researchers and others can discuss laws and litigation, ethics, best practices, IP policies and more.

Already one of the most comprehensive IP resources available, IPAdvocate.org will continue to grow via the social web, as interested parties tell their own stories and share valuable resources.

The public has an enormous stake in keeping the energy and intellect of academic scientists focused on solving the world's problems through research. Scientists share information, rely upon one another and the policies and contracts of our university. We cannot be productive while we are distracted by worry that our trust is misplaced.

Scientific and technological advancements born out of academic research are progressing at a staggering rate. Universities that support their researchers will emerge as forerunners in the future of innovation and academic leadership.