These are the sites most inventors will find most
useful. We could make this list much longer but:
- Most of these sites have many links of their own to further
layers of more specialized or local information.
- It’s hell trying to keep listings comprehensive and
up to date, so unless someone pays us handsomely we’re
not going to attempt it.
- You can in any case usually find a great deal of information
just by using Google and relevant search terms.
Happy hunting.
Patents and intellectual property
Funding
Organizations for inventors
Ideas21
www.ideas21.co.uk
Excellent forum and news/help site for UK inventors. |
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Institute of Patentees & Inventors
www.invent.org.uk
Long-established representative body for UK inventors. |
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Practical Farm Ideas
www.farmideas.co.uk
Reports on innovative and cost-cutting ideas from farmers.
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Mandy Haberman
www.mandyhaberman.com
Excellent IPR discussion forum with high level of professional
input. |
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Support for innovation
Business Link
www.businesslink.gov.uk
DTI's excellent national business advice network. Local Business
Links (find your nearest via searchable database) have innovation,
technology and design counsellors. Lists many sources of help
and advice for inventors if you follow the link > Exploit
your ideas.
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Department of Trade and
Industry
www.dti.gov.uk
Everything DTI, including > Innovation.
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Design
Council
www.designcouncil.org.uk
Good design can enormously improve an invention’s prospects. |
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Other
Companies
House
www.companies-house.co.uk
Information about all UK limited companies, disqualified directors
etc. Can be useful for checking status of potential partners,
licencees, suppliers etc. |
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Association for University
Research and Industry Links (AURIL)
www.auril.org.uk
Network of professionals aiming to develop partnerships between
higher education and industry to support innovation and competitiveness.
A good starting point if you’re looking for help from
a university. |
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The Myth of the Mousetrap: how to get your ideas adopted (and change the world)
www.themythofthemousetrap.org
A book recommended not just because it too has 'mousetrap' in the title. Written by Anne Miller, one of the world's most prolific female inventors, The Myth of the Mousetrap explains why it's so difficult to get a new idea adopted, and what you can do about it. Intelligent, wise, insightful, well written, practical... damn good. |
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The
Halfbakery
www.halfbakery.com
Oddball US site included because we like it. To quote its
home page: ‘The Halfbakery is a communal database of
original, fictitious inventions. It was created by people
who like to speculate, both as a form of satire and as a form
of creative expression.’ Worth a visit before assuming
that some ultra-creative idea can’t possibly have been
thought of before. (Remember: even if it’s a joke it’s
still prior art.)
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Invention marketing companies
There are many companies offering to help you exploit or protect
your invention. All we can say with legal safety is that we
know of plenty of inventors who reckon they’ve had poor
value for money from such companies. Some may contact you
via the address on your published patent application, appearing
to be interested in licensing your idea. Many are based outside
the UK.
The golden rule is to proceed with considerable caution.
To find out more, search Google for <invention> plus
terms such as <broker>, <promoter>, <scam>,
<fraud> to find out what the pitfalls can be for the
unwary.
In the USA there’s even a National Inventor Fraud Centre
(www.inventorfraud.com),
though this is a private initiative run by a patent attorney. |
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