3 Tips To Communicate The Value Of Your Patented Invention
What is the purpose of patenting an invention? Is it a legal formality akin to paperwork? A box to check? No. Intellectual property is a tool to transform a new idea into a product or a service by attracting investment and forming critical partnerships. When approached correctly, it is one of the most powerful tools an inventor can have.
Sometimes, a patent is used to commercialize a new product right away. But other times, especially in academic research, it means protecting foundational knowledge that may take years, even decades, to reach real-world impact. Patents help enable commercialization when the time is right and preserve the right to innovate over the long term.
Here's the catch. For a patent to do its job, the value of the invention must be clearly communicated. You can't just file a patent and post a description on a website and hope the phone rings. This is especially true for universities, whose inventions are typically complex and technical. Whether the go-to-market strategy is to license the technology, raise funding, or form a startup, articulating what makes the invention useful requires as much clarity as the research behind it.
That's why inventors and IP professionals alike must embrace speaking in plain language, connecting with broader audiences, and demonstrating real-world relevance. In her role as Executive Director of the Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships at UNC Charlotte, Laura Peter exemplifies this awareness. The former USPTO Deputy Director proactively communicates the value of intellectual property arising from the university in creative ways, from hosting public events and creating awards to encouraging researchers to think about commercial applications of their work.
Laura Peter, Executive Director of Research Commercialization and Partnerships at UNC Charlotte
Winners of the 2025 UNC Charlotte inaugural Invention of the Year awards.
Notably, in April Peter hosted UNC Charlotte's inaugural Invention of the Year Awards. Held shortly after the university achieved R1 status, the evening honored faculty, students, and staff whose patented technologies are solving pressing problems, from wireless energy transfer and liver preservation to advanced 3D printing methods.
Designed to showcase the university's growing innovation ecosystem, more than two dozen judges, mostly from industry, helped select the award winners. There was a lot to celebrate: UNC Charlotte now ranks fifth in the nation for new patent filings per research dollar and third for creating new startup companies per research dollar. In just five years, patent filings have accelerated by 200 percent.
By recognizing the people behind the patents and placing their work in the public spotlight, the event invited deeper collaboration with industry and affirmed IP as a living, public-facing asset. It was also effective in raising awareness: One attendee confessed that they had 'no idea' this kind of research was taking place at the university.
It's rare to see inventors publicly celebrated for their contributions.
This public-facing perspective is critical, especially now, when federal funding for university research is being closely scrutinized. One graduate of UNC Charlotte has already proven what's possible when a groundbreaking innovation and effective communication go hand in hand. Dr. Jennifer Pagán didn't just develop a breakthrough water disinfection technology using UV-C LED light as a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering, she turned her invention into a thriving global business.
With the help of UNC Charlotte's technology transfer office, she patented and licensed her technology to a local company working from the campus incubator. She went on to co-found AquiSense Technologies, whose UV-C disinfection systems are now used everywhere from Antarctica to the International Space Station. Her journey as an innovator benefitted from the support of federal funding, including SBIR grants.
With Peter's encouragement, Pagán has begun telling her story to national audiences. She was recently featured in a "From Campus to Commerce" video by the National Academy of Inventors and selected as one of the Bayh-Dole Coalition's "2025 Faces of American Innovation."
Her journey underscores the reality that a patent is not the finish line, it's the starting gate. From writing claims to finding use cases, every step of commercialization depends on communicating the value of the innovation to funders, partners, and end users.
Drawing on decades in industry, government, and now academia, Peter offers this advice to inventors hoping to take their ideas to market.
1. Speak plainly. Technical brilliance means little if others can't understand it. Rarely are the benefits of an invention obvious to a non-expert.
'Inventors often don't know how to talk about their invention in a relatable way,' Peter says. Whether she is translating the technical expert language into legal language for a patent or into more common parlance for potential investors, she thinks of her role as an intellectual property attorney as a translator.
Remember, whether you're pitching to investors or potential licensees, clarity is key. Don't make the mistake of assuming that the benefit of your invention is obvious. Challenge yourself to capture the benefit of your invention in the shortest phrase possible.
2. Explore more use cases. Peter frequently challenges inventors on campus to consider commercial applications by asking: "What else can it be used for?" That kind of thinking — which is then reflected in the patent claims themselves — is vital for commercialization.
3. Tell the story. Communicating the value of what you've invented is not limited to the invention. The people, context, and potential outcomes matter. Stories are more memorable and persuasive than technical details. Capture the evolution of your invention — with photos, anecdotes, and milestones — to build a story others can easily follow later on.
Whether you're tinkering in a garage or conducting federally funded research, the challenge is the same: A patent only creates value when people understand what makes your invention matter. As Laura Peter's work at UNC Charlotte shows, when inventors combine strategic IP with clear storytelling, their ideas don't just get protected — they get adopted, funded, and scaled. That's how inventions leave the lab and start changing lives.
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