|  | National Invention Centre (NIC) | | IP Commercialisation Specialists |
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|  | | | The NIC is Australia's longest running and most respected private consultancy in invention and new product commercialisation. The NIC has given advice to thousands of small businesses and inventors, and we are often consulted for commentary in the media. (See our Media Events)
We have 4 core services:
- Patent Searching and IP Advice
| One-on-One Consultancies | Getting the right advice from people with experience in the commercialisation of intellectual property (IP) area can be immensely helpful in helping you to understand this process and the potential costs.
Under strict confidentiality, one of our consultants will review your idea and give you in-depth, specific advice about where you are up to, what your options are and how to proceed. Such a consultancy service is very difficult to find and the information provided can be invaluable in saving time, money and heartache. |
| | Patent Searching and IP Advice | Before beginning the costly process of patenting, patent searches can provide valuable information about similar ideas or products that have already been patented (i.e. prior art) and might compromise the patentability of an idea.
While we encourage you to undertake your own searches on the free online databases (see our links page), we strongly recommend that you have patent searches done professionally. We can do preliminary searches for you or make arrangements for more comprehensive searches that are outsourced to professional patent law firms. Once you have completed your searches, we recommend that you take this information to a licensed patent attorney to obtain professional advice. Only patent attorneys are licensed to give legal advice regarding your intellectual property (IP): They are more expensive, but well worth it in the long run! |
| | Market Appraisals | It is critical that your decisions are based upon reliable evidence about what is really happening out there in the marketplace with regards to an idea for a new product.
Based on statistics and information that is freely available from government, industry and other public-access sources, we are able to give you an appraisal of a nominated geographic market (eg. Australia or US) where the product or idea might be marketed. The purpose of this appraisal is to gain an indication of the likely commercial viability of the new product idea or concept. We can identify information such as:
- Target Markets and Segmentation
- Market Characteristics
- Potential Market Size
- Key Competitors
- Key Industry Players
- Distribution Channels
- Industrial Manufacturers
The appraisal is prepared by qualified market researchers and presented in a report. Unlike other ‘marketability' analyses or assessments, this report is tailored for each client and does not use a template. |
| | Strategic Development | If you are going to succeed and make money from your IP, then you must think of it as a business opportunity.
To make the most of your business opportunity, we can develop a strategy with you that will help you target potential partners, raise finances and turn your idea into a business asset. This service is generally available to clients who may already have developed a working prototype, have done considerable amounts of market research and have access to early seed capital.
The scope and costs of this service vary depending on the complexity of the project and expertise required. |
| NIC can also refer inventors to professionals with expertise in: | - Business Planning
- Concept Development & Visualisation
- Intellectual Property Advice
- Investment Sourcing
- Management Consultancy
- Manufacturing
- Market Research
- Marketing Consultancy
- Prototype Development
- Strategic Planning
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