Missouri Business Resource Library:
Innovation and product development

Financing

• Banking considerations for technology companies - A solid banking relationship can be a great partner for a tech company. Finding one with the experience you need will help manage challenges.
• The funding question: What are angel investors and venture capital firms? - The differences from angel investors to venture capital firms and their range of criterial for evaluating investment recipients.
• Ideas, inventions and innovations - Part of SBA's Products/Ideas/Invention Series (Ideas into Dollars) illustrating the knowledge, time and money required taking an invention to a successful product launch.
• Making the most of your ten-minute opportunity - Ten minutes isn't a lot of time. But with excellent preparation it's all the time necessary to convince prospective stakeholders to support a business venture.
• So you have a million-dollar-business idea? - Tips for developing your business idea idea, including financing options.
  
  

  Research grants

• MO SBTDC Technology Development and Commercialization Assistance - A service of the Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Centers to help take intellectual property from the idea stage to commercialization.
• MU's Enterprise Investment Program - Assistance for University-affiliated entrepreneurs and early stage companies to take innovations from the lab to the marketplace.
• Research grants for small businesses - Business.gov's links to federal programs providing grants to small firms engaged in scientific R&D (SBIR/STTR grants).
• SBIR: Seed capital funding to move Missouri's innovations to market - an overview of the SBIR/STTR process and how the MoFAST initiative and the SBTDC can assist in navigating it successfully.

Intellectual property

• BitLaw - A resource on technology law - Contains information on copyrights, trademarks and Internet legal issues.
• Cool product idea! Now what? (part 1) (part 2) - You've come up with a great invention. Before finding someone to make it, you need a plan. Includes lessons learned on product development.
• Inventors' Digest - Magazine for inventors. Provides useful information and guidance on all kinds of inventing-related and marketing subjects.
• Patent Cafe - Online navigational directory for creators and professionals needing informational resources related to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
• Should I sign a non-disclosure agreement? - Before signing or creating a non-disclosure agreement, make sure understand the terms you are agreeing to.
• A walk through the commercialization process - A review of the product development process, including creation, testing, production, licensing, launch, marketing and sales.
  

  Copyright

• Avoiding patent, trademark and copyright problems - Part of SBA's Products/Ideas/Invention Series illustrating how to avoid infringing the rights of others and the importance of protecting your own rights.
• U.S. Copyright Office - Library of Congress site includes basics, faq, registration procedures, forms and a copyright search feature.

Patents

• American Patent & Trademark Law Center - General information about patents and trademarks.
• Avoiding patent, trademark and copyright problems - Part of SBA's Products/Ideas/Invention Series illustrating how to avoid infringing the rights of others and the importance of protecting your own rights.
• Chicago Public Library - Patent and trademark resources found on the Internet.
• Cool product idea! Now what? (part I) (part II) - You've come up with a great invention. Before finding someone to make it, you need a plan. Includes lessons learned on product development.
• Explore basic issues before applying for a patent: Freedom to operate and patentability - Before applying for a patent, be sure to determine if you have freedom to operate...whether or not you can produce and sell a product or use a process without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others.
• InventNET - The Inventor's Network - Inventing and patenting help. Information to help develop and market inventions.
• Patent and Trademark Depository Library - Research to a wide variety of patent, trademark, and business resources from the Fogler Library, University of Maine.
• Wiki Patents - A database of patents open for public comment on the internet, free patent translation into multiple languages and allows PDF downloading of patents.


Patent searches:

• Small Business and Technology Development Center at University of Central Missouri - Assists Missouri residents with patent and new product development.
• Delphion - Provides intellectual asset management software and services that help business and intellectual property (IP) professionals research, manage and analyze intellectual property information.
• Google Patent Search - Google's interface to search the full text of the U.S. patent database
• Guide to patent searching - Patent searching tutorials on the McKinney Engineering Library, University of Texas Web site.
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - Databases - Part of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's web site. Search patent classifications through full-text and full-page image databases.
• United Inventors' Association - Provides leadership, support and services to inventor support groups and independent inventors.
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office - Official web site of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Search patents and trademarks, order copies, apply for patents, register trademarks, pay fees and monitor progress.



Trademarks

• American Patent & Trademark Law Center - General information about patents and trademarks.
• Avoiding patent, trademark and copyright problems - Part of SBA's Products/Ideas/Invention Series illustrating how to avoid infringing the rights of others and the importance of protecting your own rights.
• Patent and Trademark Depository Library - Research to a wide variety of patent, trademark, and business resources from the Fogler Library, University of Maine.
• Trademarks and business goodwill - Part of SBA's Products/Ideas/Invention Series explaining what trademarks are, tips for choosing a trademark and how to register a trademark.
  

New market research

• Green Product Development - Learn how businesses are using environmental problems as catalysts to develop innovative new products and services. From SBA.
• Technology transfer and its role in the commercialization process - This report studies how well-positioned the University of Missouri system is to play an important role in economic development. Included is a discussion of the commercialization process at MU, plus critical steps or influencing factors of the commercialization process: research capacity, invention disclosures, patent applications, licensing and the environment for start-up companies.
• Technology Transfer Tactics - Monthly newsletter provides in-depth guidance designed to hasten and streamline the commercialization process. Subscription fee required.
• TRANSFORMATION - April 2013 issue of the MO SBTDC newsletter focused on technology development and commercialization; includes case studies of Missouri businesses that are exporting.
• A walk through the commercialization process - A review of the product development process, including creation, testing, production, licensing, launch, marketing and sales.

Prototyping

• Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR) - Provides environmental information and best practices to help automotive shop owners, managers and technicians better understand their environmental responsibilities and to help them achieve compliance with environmental program requirements.