National Academy of Inventors Sign Memorandum of Agreement With US Patent and Trademark Office

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Russell Slifer, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and deputy director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and Paul Sanberg, president of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), signed a Memorandum of Agreement during the NAI Fellows Induction Ceremony, the closing event for the NAI's fifth annual conference on April 15, 2016.

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The agreement outlines the opportunity for the USPTO and the NAI to work closely on mutually beneficial projects to enrich education outreach, honors and awards, and programs relating to intellectual property. The agreement includes a commitment from the NAI to host its annual meeting every other year at USPTO headquarters.

"It has been our pleasure at the USPTO, for the last five years to have a relationship with the Academy and it is my pleasure also to sign our Memorandum of Agreement," said Slifer. "We will continue to cooperate to host events and awards. The NAI annual meeting will continue to be held here every other year, which will allow for our employees to meet with NAI members and Fellows to discuss how the work they are doing comes together to help the nation and innovators around the world."

David Kappos, former Under Secretary of Commerce and previous director of the USPTO, embraced the NAI soon after it was founded in 2010 and suggested the need for a higher level program for leading academic inventors to be honored and recognized for their contributions to society.

In his speech at the 2012 NAI annual meeting in Tampa, Kappos said, "The NAI is a breakthrough for our country. It couldn't be more timely to have an organization like this to be championing innovation."

"We are very grateful that the USPTO has provided vital support to the NAI since our inception," said Sanberg. "We are pleased to announce the signing of this Memorandum of Agreement which solidifies our important friendship and we look forward to a bright future of collaborations."

The National Academy of Inventors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit member organization comprising U.S. and international universities, and governmental and non-profit research institutes, with over 3,000 individual inventor members and Fellows spanning more than 200 institutions, and growing rapidly. It was founded in 2010 to recognize and encourage inventors with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and translate the inventions of its members to benefit society. The NAI publishes the multidisciplinary journal, Technology and Innovation, Journal of the National Academy of Inventors. www.AcademyofInventors.org

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National Academy of Inventors
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SOURCE National Academy of Inventors

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