Complete An Optional Technology Viability Assessment (TVA)

The Technology Viability Assessment (TVA) is Optional. Typically, a TVA is completed to support the provisional patent filing, prioritize filing of non-Provisionals patent actions, and help to market your invention to potential investors. The TVA is also useful to advise the inventor on how to move the invention forward to ultimate licensure. Certain aspects of the below instructions can be extracted from the Invention Disclosure and/or Additional Information. Do not duplicate efforts!

Starting 2025, the Research Office will be employing student workers to assist the inventor in completing a TVA.  Please contact patents@mtech.edu for more information on this resource.

The TVA Includes:

  1. Overview of the Invention for Marketing/Publication: This overview will be disseminated to potential licensees and sponsors of the invention. This can be adapted from the prior material, but should not exceed 1 page, and any confidential information should be removed.
  2. Relevant Performance Benchmarks: List qualities that should be used to consider performance of the invention relative to existing solutions, patents, patent filings, and commercially available products. These can be repeated from [Claims]
  3. From your [preliminary patent search] or other currently available technology, create a preliminary list of competitors and/or competing products. As available, include web sites and note differentiation of the invention with the competitors.
  4. Capabilities: Create a table, with the benchmarks as columns and the rows as competing technology. Within the table, note how the features of the invention compare to the current state-of-the-art for the given performance metrics. Note relevant operating conditions and/or situations in which the invention provides a competitive advantage.
  5. Benefits: Provide a bulleted list of other features of the invention that will appeal to the consumer and/or ultimate customer. The benefits may not be technical in nature (e.g. decreased environmental footprint, small and portable, integrates with cell phone technology, etc.).
  6. To the best of your availability, provide a preliminary list of potential applications and/or markets for the invention.
  7. Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Provide a preliminary assessment of the TRL against established criteria. Are there any manufacturability risks (e.g. special/rare materials, difficult manufacturing processes, dependence on foreign production)? Although not used in the prioritization of patenting funds, the TRL is useful to garner additional support to move the invention towards commercialization and communicate with potential investors.