A. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce shall establish a program to provide assistance to inventors. On July 1, 1998, all powers, duties, responsibilities, files, and records relating to the inventors assistance program shall be transferred to the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).

B. The program shall be designed to:

1. Attract inventors from throughout this state, the nation and other countries and encourage them to submit their proposals for review and evaluation;

2. Provide assistance to inventors whose proposals are accepted which shall include patent searches, market analysis, product research and development, assistance in obtaining financing, business counseling, and any other assistance necessary to develop the product to the commercial stage which is not prohibited by the Constitution or laws of this state and further to protect both the state and the inventor, this section would require a provisional patent application or patent application be on file with the U.S. Patent Office before the state will review proposal;

3. Provide assistance and training to inventors to enable the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of their product;

4. Direct inventors to the Inventors Development Society, the Oklahoma Inventors Congress, or other similar organizations for assistance; and

5. Improve the entrepreneurial skills of the state's workforce in order to foster innovation, product development and new high quality jobs.

Added by Laws 1987, c. 121, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1987. Amended by Laws 1994, c. 322, § 28, emerg. eff. June 8, 1994; Laws 1998, c. 250, § 1, eff. July 1, 1998.