What can we do for you?

Protecting your investment of time, intellect, and innovations.

Our mission is to promote innovation, enhance research by connecting inventors and the business community, and foster economic development through protecting and commercializing intellectual property. 

The Office of Technology Innovation and Economic Development (TI&ED) serves the faculty, staff, and students of JMU by helping to identify and promote innovations developed at the university. It is in the academic unit of Research and Scholarship.

James Madison Innovations, Inc. (JMI) serves as JMU’s affiliated non-profit corporation enabling the licensing of inventions and ensuring effective commercialization of the innovation all with a high level of service to the inventor. We also have a strong working relationship with the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County business community to connect entrepreneurs with economic development members and the Shenandoah Valley Angel Investors for local startup seed capital.

Our work exemplifies two of the JMU Strategic Plan Core Qualities- Engagement and Innovation by creating partnerships with the business community and supporting faculty research related to entrepreneurship, technology, commercialization and new venture formation and growth. Commercialization success supports the university’s future research and innovation development endeavors. Technology transfer functions from federally funded inventions are required under federal law.

TI&ED is eager to work with faculty, staff, and student inventors to help them understand our process of university technology transfer, from preparing for an eventual invention discovery through the commercialization process.

Innovator Services:
  • education on the intellectual property protection process
    and prior art search
  • patent applications
  • competition analysis
  • connections to business planning functions such as market analysis, business plan development, and intellectual property protection.

Students:

We are committed to creating an innovative and entrepreneurial campus. To that end, TI&ED provides guidance to student entrepreneurs on their creative concepts and inventions.

Getting started...

Please see the Guidance and Process page for details on how to start the process!

If you want to see more information on how to take an idea to market see Take it to Market

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