For Inventors

National Heart Research Institute Singapore (NHRIS) supports the protection of inventions conceived and developed at NHRIS, ensuring that those with commercial potential are protected and ultimately commercialized for the benefit of patients and healthcare at large.

Invention Disclosure

Completing an Invention Disclosure Form (IDF) is the first step towards protecting your invention. Please click here to download an Invention Disclosure Form. 

Please refer to the Guide for Inventors for more information on technology development and commercialization.

Some pertinent information to provide in the Invention Disclosure Form (IDF) includes:

1. A technical write up of the invention: Be sure to highlight both the scientific and the commercial value.
   
2. Inventors/Contributors
3. Funding source(s): Any funding that supported the research work should be provided to determine the obligations that must be met, such as reporting technological progress, offering a license, or sharing of commercialization costs and revenues.
4. Disclosure date: Be aware of all actual and planned publications, presentations, or other means of sharing your idea on a non-confidential basis.

• After the submission of the Invention Disclosure Form, an assessment of the invention’s technical and marketing potential is conducted.

Evaluation Criteria for Patentability

Basic criteria for assessing research outcomes for possible patent protection include, among many others:

1. Patentability of the results/ invention;
2. Commercial potential; and
3. whether it provides a solution to an Unmet Need for clinical use.

What happens after I have completed my Invention Disclosure Form (IDF)?

• After completing your Invention Disclosure Form (IDF), please submit it to the Research Administration & Development Office (RADO) whereupon a preliminary review will be carried out to check for completeness, including signatures by the Inventors.
  
  
• Thereafter, the completed Invention Disclosure Form (IDF) will be submitted to the SingHealth Intellectual Property Office (SHIP) for assessment of the invention’s technical and marketing potential. SHIP will contact the inventors to discuss the technology's details and potential commercialization opportunities.
  
  
• An IDF is an internal SingHealth document to record an invention. When completed, it is submitted to SHIP who will review and determine the appropriate next steps to protect and commercialize the invention. Please note that the submission of a complete invention disclosure to SHIP is only the first step of the patenting processes and it does not provide legal protection of the invention.