
Can I turn a PhD into a startup? - RocketSyntax
I&#x27;ve been working on an ambitious side project focused on a cheminformatics app that I eventually want to turn into synthetic biology workflows&#x2F; circuits. This will take time and scientific know-how.<p>If I were to get accepted into a PhD program that allows me to focus on this area:<p>[1] Would I be able to retain the intellectual property of my software?<p>[2] Would I be able to commercialize it?<p>Ideally, I would open source as much a possible.
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greenyoda
> Would I be able to retain the intellectual property of my software?

If your research received funding from a government agency such as NSF, they
might have a claim to your IP.

If you're funded by the university as a teaching or research assistant, there
would be an employer/employee relationship, and your work could be owned by
the university under a "work for hire" contract clause.

> Would I be able to commercialize it?

If someone other than you owned the IP, you'd need their permission to
commercialize it (they might want a big chunk of the company, or they may
refuse and contract with someone else to commercialize it).

If you really care about this, you should talk to a lawyer (who specializes in
IP) before doing anything that might jeopardize your plans. They might advise
you to do a PhD on a different but related topic and not start developing the
software until you left the university.

Also, different universities may have different policies on IP
ownership/licensing. Some may be more startup-friendly than others.

