Since we started the Innovation Institute inventors have asked a lot of questions about the program. Hopefully, some of these questions and our answers will be helpful to you.
1. Do I need to have my patent before getting an evaluation?
Absolutely not. In fact, we recommend obtaining an evaluation first. Patents cost a lot of money.
2. Do I need to have a prototype to get an evaluation?
Not in most cases. Our evaluation system is designed to work at the idea stage. This enables you to get an objective third-party evaluation before you invest a lot of money in your project.
3. What experience do you have in evaluating inventions?
The director of the WIN program is Dr. Gerald G. Udell. He has over 25 years of experience in invention evaluation, and is generally regarded as the leading expert on invention evaluation in the United States. He has authored 30 books and over 200 articles, papers, and reports, many of which relate to the innovation process and/or invention evaluation. He is the author of the PIES system, the most widely used evaluation format in America.
4. Who will do my evaluation?
The Innovation Institute (I2) is the WIN evaluation agent in all states except Missouri. The Institute was founded by Dr. Udell in 1979 to carry on the evaluation research he began in 1974 for the National Science Foundation. It holds the intellectual property rights to the PIES format. Your project will be assigned to a chief evaluator who will consult with other WIN evaluators and consultants, but never anyone beyond those persons discussed in #13, below, without your written permission.
5. How long will my evaluation take?
You should have your report in six to eight weeks.
6. What other services does WIN provide?
WIN is essentially an invention evaluation service. We do not provide invention development, management assistance, and/or marketing services because we think it is a conflict of interest for an evaluation service to also provide additional services on a fee basis. We do provide no-cost referrals to sources of management and technical assistance to clients with qualifying inventions. We will not buy your idea, give you money, help you develop or market your idea. We have elected not to ask the government or other groups for any money to finance such services. To the best of our knowledge, our evaluation fee is the lowest in the country for a legitimate evaluation service. Consequently, we do not have the resources to provide additional services beyond those specified in question #8, below.
7. How much money will I end up paying WIN?
$200 (if you live in the United States) or $220 elsewhere—about what you would pay for a very low-cost patent search, or to some patent attorneys for about 30-45 minutes of their time. There are no other payments to WIN. Any additional services we provide are at no cost to you and are at our option.
8. Where do I go for help after I get my evaluation report?
If your invention receives a Success Likelihood Rating of .35 or more, we will send you a list of inventor services and other resources located in your state. We maintain a national network of over 2000 resources for inventors, including inventor groups, Small Business Development Centers, legitimate licensing executives, and economic development groups. Please note that some areas have much better developed resources than others.
9. What happens if I get a positive WIN-PIES evaluation?
We will provide you with a list of our resource partners in your area that may be able to help you develop/commercialize your invention or new product idea. In addition, we may be able to provide you with a list of some retailers/distributors that we feel are appropriate to your invention/circumstances. In order to qualify for these services you must receive a positive recommendation (Success Likelihood Rating of .42) from your evalutor(s).
10. Will WIN take over the development of my idea or invention?
No--You are responsible for any development and commercialization.
11. Is the WIN Innovation Center part of any corporate or government organization?
No, WIN is a cooperative public service program maintained by the Innovation Institute and Missouri State University, with participation from other WIN partners. We are an independent program designed to provide inventors and innovators with an honest assessment of the commercial potential of their inventions and new products. Our purpose is to stimulate innovation by providing an honest and objective source of advice and referrals. We are not obligated to refer products to any retailers or manufacturers, nor are they obligated to follow our recommendations.
12. I don't need an evaluation, but I would like to get some help in developing my invention. Can you send me the WIN Resource Network in my state?
Sorry, but the deal we made with our resource affiliates before they signed up was that we would not make referrals without first determining if the invention involved had commercial merit. Most of our affiliates have limited resources, and are therefore unable to spend time and effort with ideas and inventions with low commercial potential.
13. Who will you tell about my idea?
No one. We won't disclose your idea or invention to anyone outside of the WIN staff without your express written permission. All of the people involved in the WIN program have signed confidentiality statements that are kept on file. Generally only three or four people will see your information: (1) the evaluation manager who reads just enough to assign your project to a (2) chief evaluator (who is the only person to review your project in depth) and (3) the client coordinator who is responsible for filing your materials in temporary storage. Evaluators may consult with our (4) evaluation consultants, but this rarely if ever involves a full disclosure of your idea. Evaluation files are temporarily stored in locked files/offices. They are then destroyed. Paper is incinerated. Non-burnable materials, including video tapes and prototypes, are physically destroyed.
15. Where do I get the PIES forms needed so I can submit my idea for evaluation?
You can find the appropriate Registration and Disclosure forms online in our PIES invention evaluation forms section. You may also request that the forms be mailed to you; see the contacts section for the appropriate address.
16. I have a new product, not an idea or invention. Can you help?
We have evaluated over 5,000 products using the PIES system or a modification of that system. We have used that experience to refine our product assessment system. The third edition, PAS-III, is operational and product assessments are available at a cost of $220 in the U.S. and $240 (in US funds) elsewhere. For more information about our Product Assessment Service visit the PAS FAQ. To print out the appropriate Registration and Disclosure forms, go to our PAS product assessment forms section. Be sure to include a sales history of your product. Also, samples are very helpful, so feel free to send them along; however, they will not be returned. In the near future, we will be adding a venture assessment service as well.
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