Technology Readiness
From Discovery to Deployment
Research translation isn't a single leap—it's a progression. The same innovation that's ready for a seed grant isn't yet ready for SBIR Phase II. The technology that can attract a licensing partner isn't the same one that needs two more years of validation. Knowing where your research sits on that continuum lets you pursue the right opportunities at the right time—and avoid investing energy in paths you're not yet positioned to take.
The Auster Center helps Tufts researchers assess their technology's readiness and build a clear-eyed plan for advancing it.
The Translation Readiness Spectrum
Most research begins as a discovery—a finding with potential, but no defined application. As that research advances, it moves through predictable stages: from a validated concept, to a working prototype, to a pilot-tested solution, to something ready for real-world deployment. Funders, partners, and commercialization pathways each map to specific points along this spectrum.
Understanding where you are isn't about passing a test. It's about focusing your next move.
What Determines Your Readiness
Proof of Concept
Has your innovation been validated in a controlled setting? Can you demonstrate the core principle works beyond the theoretical? This is where most university research begins—and where seed grants and early customer discovery are most valuable.
Prototype or Working Model
Do you have a functional version—even if rough—that can be tested, demonstrated, or shown to potential partners? This stage opens doors to industry conversations, sponsored research, and SBIR Phase I eligibility.
Validated Against Real-World Conditions
Has your innovation been tested outside the lab—with real users, real data, or real operating environments? This is where translation pathways become concrete. Licensing discussions, startup formation, and SBIR Phase II all become realistic at this stage.
Protect What You're Building
Before you move into industry conversations, licensing discussions, or any public presentation of your work, there is one step that should happen first: disclosing your invention to Tufts Technology Commercialization (TC).
This is not a bureaucratic formality. It is the action that preserves your options.
Here's why it matters: once you publicly disclose an invention—through a conference presentation, a published paper, a poster session, or even an informal demo—the clock starts. In the United States, you have one year from that public disclosure to file a patent application. Outside the US, that window may be zero. Disclosing to TC before any public presentation gives TC the time to evaluate your invention, assess its commercial potential, and file for protection on your behalf before rights are lost.
Disclosure also unlocks income. If your technology is successfully licensed, licensing income is distributed back to you as the inventor, as well as to your department and school. Many Tufts researchers are unaware this is possible.
What TC Does After You Disclose
- Evaluates your invention for commercial and patentability potential
- Works with patent attorneys to seek the broadest appropriate protection
- Identifies commercial partners—companies, licensees, or investors—who might develop or deploy your technology
- Negotiates licensing agreements, material transfer agreements, and sponsored research contracts
- Monitors licensee performance throughout the license term
How to Disclose
Complete the Tufts Invention Disclosure Form through the TC Researcher Portal. Timely disclosure is critical—when in doubt, disclose early.
How the Auster Center Helps You Advance
Assess Where You Are
We work with you to honestly evaluate your current stage—identifying what's already validated, what gaps remain, and what's needed to move forward.
Bridge the Gaps
Through seed grants, customer discovery training, and strategic partnerships, we help you build the evidence and capabilities that advance your readiness—and make you competitive for the next funding opportunity.
Connect Resources to Your Stage
Not every program is right for every stage. We match you with the tools, funding, and partners appropriate to where you are now—whether that's NSF I-Corps, a seed grant, SBIR/STTR, NSF TTP, or an industry partnership.
Build Toward Your Pathway
Readiness and pathway go together. As your technology advances, we help you align with the translation route—licensing, partnership, startup, or direct deployment—that best fits your goals.