Inventor's Assistance Service invites K-12 students to submit their invention ideas for free research, analysis, and guidance

Monday, April 6, 2020

Oklahoma State University’s New Product Development Center (NPDC) is offering free research and guidance to young Oklahoma inventors through its Inventor’s Assistance Service program.

“We understand K-12 students may have a little more time on their hands right now, and we are challenging young inventors across the state to send us their best ideas,” said Jessica Stewart, assistant director of the New Product Development Center. “We would love to work with young innovators and their parents and teachers. We can assist them with how to conduct research for their invention and provide guidance about the innovation and design process.”

NPDC staff help inventors with topics such as how to perform patent research, how to conduct market research, considering product design, identifying materials for the product, and other important topics related to product development.

The NPDC staff have been managing the Inventor’s Assistance Service since 2011 and have assisted nearly 1,000 Oklahoma inventors with their concepts.

“Our staff are experienced with the invention process and working through the various stages of bringing an invention to fruition,” Stewart said. “Once we receive a completed project application, it will be assigned to one of our professional staff members, who will work one-on-one with the inventor. Inventors will also receive a detailed report outlining what we have found in our research and our recommendations for moving forward with the idea.”

The New Product Development Center is an engineering extension unit within the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology that offers business and engineering technical assistance and invention guidance. The Inventor’s Assistance Service, which is funded by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, offers preliminary market and patent research, concept evaluation, engineering design and modeling, and prototyping services to eligible inventors.

Anyone interested in applying for the Inventor’s Assistance Service can email Jessica Stewart, assistant director, at jessica.stewart@okstate.edu or call her at 405-744-2932.