Science of Innovation: Overview

The Science of Innovation project was developed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in collaboration with the National Science Foundation and NBC Learn. The series explores the process of innovation through the eyes of scientists, engineers, and inventors.

Innovation. It's a word that touches every facet of our everyday culture from business to science and even the arts. Innovation is often associated with creating new things or ideas and includes improving upon old ones too. Businesses around the world have a great need to continuously innovate to stay competitive in the global marketplace and to bring consumers the latest and greatest products and services. But innovation is not defined by just a single event or even a single brilliant idea. Innovation is truly about a process, a series of steps that begins with human imagination and creativity and results in the creation of something of value for society to enjoy. The creation of intellectual property takes vision, perseverance, and often involves people from different backgrounds and expertise collaborating in order to transform an idea into something that is real and tangible. In this series, you will see how scientists and engineers come together through the process of innovation to create and help inspire a future of amazing possibilities.

Don't forget to check out the USPTO Video Page for more information about the agency.