Judging the Market Potential

An important decision you will have to make is (a) whether the innovation which you have been developing (or plan to develop) will receive its widest distribution and use if it is in the public domain and freely available to any interested party, or (b) whether it would be better to license a business firm that will actively market it, making a profit from the market that is then developed. These are not such straightforward alternatives as they might seem.

• There may be a broad market for the innovation, with several "niches" that match different manufacturers' product lines.
  
  

  It might be appropriate to enter into several licenses with different firms, licensing the product to each one specifically for the kind of application that matches their business.

  
  
• There may be a thin, but clearly defined market for the product.
  
  

  If the VA product is clearly related to the product line of one firm, and the ratio of start-up costs to estimated sales within a particular company is favorable, the firm might be interested in being licensed to handle the product. The firm will be in a good position to use existing channels to disseminate information about the product, and they are most likely to provide the follow-up support that may be necessary to see to it that the rehabilitation clients are well served.

(continued)

Investigator

Transfer Officer

Center Director