The Georgia Tech PTRC continued to provide intellectual property services to faculty and students on campus as well as individual inventors throughout the state of Georgia. We conducted over 300 individual consultation and training sessions for inventors and researchers with their patent and trademark needs. The Patent and Trademark Research Guides we created/updated have been accessed over 6,600 times during 2013.
Joanne Tobin returned to her retirement in Sept. 2013 after serving one year as an acting patent coordinator. She enjoyed reconnecting with inventors and professionals and kept updated with new tools and systems. We appreciate Joanne’s contribution! Lisha Li finished her PTRCP Fellowship in Aug. 2013 and returned to her duty as a patent coordinator in Sept. 2013. Recently, a small office dedicated to PubEAST/PubWEST access in the library services area was made available for inventors and researchers.
The Georgia Tech PTRC got more publicity through the InVenture Prize Program – a Georgia Tech event to create incentives, resources, and a structure for undergraduate student innovation and entrepreneurship. We met more students than before, either candidates for InVenture Prize or students simple inspired by innovation ideas, coming to us to obtain knowledge and training in patent prior art searches. The 2014 InVenture Prize Finals will be on March 26, 2014.
Library wide, we are collaborating with the Emory University Library to build a combined storage facility. We worked with a consulting firm to assess faculty and students needs for a future Georgia Tech Library. We are expecting major changes in the library in the next a few years.