In general, a “public disclosure” is the release of information about the discovery in sufficient detail to allow a fellow scientist in the field to make, use, or apply the invention to their research. Public disclosures by the inventor or other scientists in the field may limit or destroy the patentability of an invention. This situation can be avoided by submitting your EIR to the NINDS TTO well in advance of any contemplated public disclosures.

Examples of a potential public disclosure include; Posters, talks, abstracts, publications, internet publications of any kind, public database, or can be just informal discussions with colleagues outside of NINDS.

How can you avoid a disclosure but still interact with you research colleagues? In advance of such discussions, either file an EIR far enough in advance that the review process can take place and a decision made on whether to patent or not or you should ask the NINDS TTO to work with the parties to whom you will be disclosing the details of your research to agree to a confidentiality agreement which will allow open discussion of your research without qualifying as a disclosure for patenting purposes.