Have you ever had a good idea, like, “wow someone should really make that.” Well why not have that someone be you? Now you may be thinking to yourself, “self, you have the idea but were do I go from there?” And it’s in that "from there" place that a lot of people get stuck.

Well your university might just be able to help you there. Purdue not only has the facilities and the tools for you to use in order to take your idea from in your head to in your hand, but they also have the ability patent and commercialize your product. This opportunity is not just limited to Purdue faculty but is open to all of its students. In the year 2014 Purdue produced a whopping 93 patents, placing us as the 16^th most productive among universities worldwide, and is third among Big 10 schools.

This giant leap forward in patent-issuing was due to a decision that President Mitch Daniels and others made. The result was a lowering of obstacles that stopped faculty and students from pursuing patents and by offering as much support as Purdue could offer aspiring inventors and entrepreneurs.

Many different areas of research including engineering, agriculture, computer science, biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, health sciences, information technology and veterinary medicine, have taken advantage of this accessible route in the patenting process.

Chad Pittman, vice president for the Office of Technology Commercialization, stated that, "strong interest from faculty, staff and student innovations and the new policies we have enacted to ease the disclosure and patent process have encouraged more patent filings and startup creation." So if you have a good idea, now is the time and Purdue is the place to make it a reality!