At Ohio State, technology commercialization – often referred to as technology transfer – is the process by which knowledge and discoveries are disseminated to the public through the licensing of intellectual property to third parties. Simply said, it's the process of taking discoveries made at the university into the marketplace where they can improve lives.

This process helps fulfill the university’s land grant mission and it can also be personally rewarding to researchers and their trainees. Proceeds from technology licensing are distributed back to creators and their colleges, allowing reinvestment in research activities. 

ERIK’s Innovation and Commercialization Teams advance technologies toward commercialization by working with researchers to find the right opportunities in the marketplace, through licenses to existing companies or startup companies. Proceeds from commercialization are shared with the researcher, the university and the colleges and units. This work is done through the Ohio State Innovation Foundation (OSIF), led and staffed by ERIK Innovation and Commercialization team members, o manage and facilitate commercialization of intellectual property developed at or created by the university.