Groundbreaking research happens every day at Arizona State University. Researchers are tackling some of society’s biggest challenges. Their work spans a wide range of fields, including new medical technologies, advanced materials, educational innovations, artificial intelligence and sustainability solutions.
But making a discovery is only the beginning.
For an innovation to improve lives, strengthen industries or create economic impact, it must move beyond the laboratory and into the hands of the people who can use it. That journey, from research to real-world application, is known as commercialization, and no one has to navigate it alone.
From Discovery to Impact at ASU
At ASU, two organizations play complementary roles in helping researchers translate discoveries into impact: Skysong Innovations, the university’s technology transfer organization, and Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation (Edson E+I), which provides entrepreneurial education, venture development programs, mentorship and commercialization support through Innovation2Market (I2M). I2M was created specifically to support you!
Many faculty members, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students are experts in their fields but have never worked with a technology transfer office. Questions such as Should I patent my invention? Can I still publish my research? Should I license my technology or start a company? are common, and they often arise long before researchers know whom to contact.
ASU has built an innovation ecosystem designed to answer those questions.
Whether your goal is licensing your technology, partnering with industry or launching the next great startup, understanding how Skysong Innovations and Edson E+I work together can help you move your research from discovery to marketplace with confidence.
What Is a Technology Transfer Office?
A technology transfer office (TTO) helps universities move innovations from the research environment into the marketplace, where they can create economic and societal impact.
At ASU, this role is fulfilled by Skysong Innovations, the university’s exclusive intellectual property management and technology commercialization organization. Skysong Innovations works with faculty, researchers and inventors to identify promising discoveries, protect intellectual property, evaluate commercial potential, negotiate licensing agreements and support commercialization efforts.
Simply put, Skysong Innovations helps ensure that promising discoveries don’t remain on a laboratory shelf. They become products, services and companies that make a difference.
Commercialization helps entrepreneurs generate revenue, and it fulfills the university’s mission of creating value for society by ensuring innovative research reaches the people and organizations that need it most.
Why Technology Transfer Matters
Universities generate tremendous amounts of new knowledge every year. Some discoveries become journal articles or conference presentations. Others have the potential to become medical therapies, software platforms, clean energy technologies, manufacturing processes or entirely new businesses.
Without commercialization, many of these innovations never reach the marketplace.
Technology transfer bridges that gap by helping researchers transform discoveries into practical applications.
Successful commercialization can:
- Improve health outcomes through new medical technologies
- Strengthen Arizona’s economy by creating new companies and jobs
- Attract industry partnerships and sponsored research
- Generate licensing revenue that supports future innovation
- Expand opportunities for students and researchers
- Increase the societal impact of university research
Most importantly, commercialization helps ensure that publicly funded research creates public benefit.
What Does Skysong Innovations Do?
Many researchers think of technology transfer as “the patent office,” but its role extends far beyond filing patents.
Evaluating New Discoveries
Commercialization begins when a researcher believes they have developed something novel and submits an invention disclosure.
The Skysong Innovations team evaluates the discovery by considering questions such as:
- Is the innovation novel?
- Does it solve an important problem?
- Is it commercially viable?
- Should intellectual property protection be pursued?
- What industries or companies could benefit from it?
Not every invention needs a patent, and not every innovation should become a startup. The goal is to identify the commercialization pathway with the greatest potential for impact.
Protecting Intellectual Property
One of Skysong Innovations’ primary responsibilities is helping protect ASU’s intellectual property.
Depending on the technology, this may include:
- Patent applications
- Copyright protection
- Software licensing strategies
- Trademark guidance
- Intellectual property management
Strong intellectual property protection often makes it easier to attract licensing partners, investors or startup founders interested in developing the technology further.
Licensing Technologies
Many university discoveries reach the marketplace through licensing rather than startup formation.
Skysong Innovations identifies companies interested in commercializing ASU technologies and negotiates licensing agreements that define development rights, financial terms, milestones and responsibilities.
These agreements help ensure innovations are developed responsibly while protecting the interests of both the university and the inventors.
Supporting Startup Companies
Sometimes the best commercialization path is to launch a new company. In those cases, Skysong Innovations works closely with founders to license university technology and collaborates with Edson E+I to provide entrepreneurial support that helps ventures grow.
When Should You Contact Skysong Innovations?
The answer is simple: earlier than you think.
One of the biggest misconceptions among researchers is that commercialization starts after a project is finished.
In reality, engaging Skysong Innovations early can save significant time and protect future opportunities.
Reach out if you:
- Think you’ve developed something novel
- Plan to publish potentially patentable research
- Receive interest from an outside company
- Want to understand intellectual property ownership
- Are considering forming a startup
- Simply want to understand your commercialization options
Early conversations do not obligate you to patent your work or launch a company. They simply give you the information needed to make informed decisions.
Don’t Forget About Publishing
Researchers often worry that pursuing patents will delay publication. Fortunately, commercialization and academic publishing can usually work together. The important consideration is timing.
Publicly disclosing an invention before filing for patent protection can significantly limit intellectual property rights in many countries. That’s why researchers should contact Skysong Innovations before publishing journal articles, presenting conference papers, posting technical information online or publicly discussing potentially patentable discoveries.
With proper planning, researchers can often protect intellectual property while maintaining their publication timelines.
Where Edson E+I Fits In
While Skysong Innovations focuses on intellectual property and commercialization strategy, Edson E+I helps researchers determine whether an innovation has the ingredients for a successful venture.
Commercialization involves much more than protecting an invention. Researchers also need to understand:
- Who experiences this problem?
- Is there a real customer?
- What makes this solution different?
- Is there a sustainable business model?
- Should the technology be licensed or become a startup?
- How do I build the right founding team?
These are the questions Edson E+I helps answer.
Through customer discovery, venture development, mentorship, entrepreneurial education, startup programming and connections to Arizona’s innovation ecosystem, Edson E+I equips innovators with the business skills needed to bring research into the marketplace.
Think of it this way:
- Skysong Innovations helps protect your innovation.
- Edson E+I helps build the pathway to market.
Together, they provide researchers with a comprehensive commercialization support system.
Commercialization Is a Team Sport
The most successful research commercialization efforts rarely happen in isolation.
Inventors bring technical expertise. Skysong Innovations provides intellectual property, licensing and commercialization expertise. Edson E+I contributes entrepreneurial education, market validation, mentorship and venture development. Industry partners provide manufacturing, distribution and regulatory expertise, as well as customers. Investors provide capital.
Together, these stakeholders create an ecosystem capable of transforming ideas into impact.
That’s one of ASU’s greatest strengths.
Rather than expecting researchers to become patent attorneys, licensing experts, marketers and entrepreneurs overnight, the university provides specialized organizations that work together to support each stage of commercialization.
Common Myths About Technology Transfer
Despite the growing importance of commercialization, several misconceptions persist.
- Myth: Working with Skysong Innovations means giving up control of your research.
- Reality: Researchers remain central to the commercialization process. Skysong Innovations serves as a partner, helping inventors protect and translate their discoveries.
- Myth: Only engineering or medical inventions qualify.
- Reality: Innovations emerge from every discipline, including education, sustainability, computing, business, design, social sciences, creative arts and the humanities.
- Myth: Every invention should become a startup.
- Reality: Licensing to an established company may be the most effective path to impact. Startup formation is one of several commercialization strategies.
- Myth: If my invention isn’t patented, it has no value.
- Reality: Valuable intellectual property can also include software, copyrights, data, trade secrets, educational tools and proprietary know-how.
Tips for Researchers
If you’re considering commercialization, a few best practices can make the process smoother.
- Engage Skysong Innovations before publicly disclosing your invention.
- Keep detailed records of your research and invention process.
- Respond promptly to requests for technical information during patent evaluation.
- Stay open to feedback regarding market potential and commercialization pathways.
- Connect with Edson E+I early if you’re interested in entrepreneurship or customer discovery.
- Ask questions. Commercialization professionals are there to support your success.
The earlier these conversations begin, the more options you’ll have.
Start the Conversation
Every impactful innovation begins with someone asking, “Could this make a difference?”
If you’ve developed a novel technology, software platform, medical device, manufacturing process, educational innovation or other potentially valuable discovery, don’t wait until you’ve published your work or formed a company to explore commercialization.
Start by connecting with Skysong Innovations, ASU’s technology transfer organization. Their team can help evaluate your invention, protect your intellectual property and identify the commercialization pathway best suited to your innovation.
To learn more about Skysong Innovations, you can visit their website or submit an invention disclosure if you believe you have a potentially patentable invention.
If you’re interested in understanding your market, validating customer needs, exploring startup formation or building a commercialization strategy, Edson E+I is ready to help. Through entrepreneurial programming, venture support, mentorship and educational resources, Edson E+I works alongside researchers to turn promising discoveries into scalable ventures and meaningful societal impact.
