Submitting Your Manuscripts to the LICR Intellectual Property Database

Ever wondered why LICR asks you to send a copy of each manuscript that you submit to the Intellectual Property (IP) Database? In fact it’s not just manuscripts, this requirement actually applies to any “public presentation” (e.g. conference talks, abstracts, and posters) of research, on which you, as an LICR staff member, are an author. Even if you are a co-author, and not all the work came from your laboratory, you still need to upload a copy of the “presentation” to the IP Database.

There are four reasons why we ask you to do this:

  1. The first reason is that legally - and this has to do with our not-for-profit, charity status - the LICR has to maintain records of all research publications.
  2. Reason number two concerns the IP of your work. You might not think that there is anything in your study that could be patented, but the staff in the Office of Intellectual Property (see accompanying article) are trained to spot things that might, at the very least, contribute to an existing LICR patent, or might help (in combination with other LICR results) to form the basis of a new patent.
  3. The third reason for submitting your presentation to the IP Database is that it is forwarded to the Office of Academic Review, which uses the manuscripts and presentations coming through the system to monitor and keep abreast of research being conducted by each group.
  4. Finally, the presentation is also forwarded to the Office of Communications, where it is checked for its potential as a news release. Although your work may not be of sufficient interest to the non-specialist to warrant a press release, the Office of Communications also puts together press packs for journalists, on scientific issues and findings, for editorial pieces or background material. The presentation is also assessed for posting on the LICR website, and/or for a NewsLink article.

The IP Database was created largely by Mr. Ben Williams at the Office of Intellectual Property in London, and he is now working with Drs. Dmitry Kuznetsov and Victor Jongeneel from the Office of Information Technology to streamline the automatic feeding of published manuscripts from the IP Database into the searchable (by Branch, author, date, journal, and title) publication database on the LICR Intranet. Scanning this database will be an excellent way for you to keep up with research being undertaken at other Branches.

The system for submitting your presentation to the IP Database is a web-based upload to the LICR intranet. However, first double-check that your Branch’s administrative staff don’t already do this for you! If your Branch doesn’t have a central submission system, please follow the instructions below. The only other thing to remember (and again check that your Branch doesn’t do this centrally) is to go back to the database to enter the PubMed ID once the paper is published.

 

Submission of Manuscripts

The submission page is at: http://www2.licr.org/IProperty/referenceedit.php

(You will need your Intranet password to access this page. Ask your Branch Administrator for your intranet password if you have forgotten it.)

STEP 1: Enter details in the Manuscript submission form. Once the form is filled out, click "SUBMIT". If the upload file is large it may take several minutes for the next page to appear. Note that an error message will be returned if any of the mandatory fields (in red on the form) are not entered. Help for filling out the key fields (in particular the uploading of the manuscript files) can be found at: http://www2.licr.org/IProperty/referenceeditHELP.php

STEP 2: The next screen allows you to check through the details before you submit to the IP office. Please do make sure that the file has uploaded properly by clicking [Download file]. If you are happy with the data, click "Submit Manuscript".

STEP 3: If Submission has been successful a confirmation email will be sent to your registered LICR email address. Submission is now complete and all browsers can be closed. An alert email is also sent to the Office of Intellectual Property so that the need to patent the manuscript can be assessed.