Inventors are asked to submit an overview of the product idea in complete confidence for a one-to-one meeting.Consultants will discuss the idea itself; the technology required; any development or technical challenges; patent strategy; commercial risks, challenges and opportunities; likely development costs; an estimate of product manufacturing costs; and strategies for raising funds to kickstart the development.At the end of the process, the inventor will receive a report which will help to shape their next steps and plan a new product development.
Stephen Knowles, managing director of IDC, explained that the service “will help inventors avoid the costly mistakes that others have made by offering a cost-effective way to learn about any problems early on, and a fast way to get the development process up and running.”
The service costs £300+VAT which is fully refundable against any future development work at IDC. Knowles continued, “New product developments can run into tens of thousands of pounds.Ideas which are not sounded out and clarified early on leave the inventor vulnerable to heavy losses.Spending a small amount in the beginning could save a great deal more in the long term.”
IDC has a history of supporting inventors to secure funding, produce prototypes for testing and checking, right through to delivering turn key product development solutions.
One example is the late GP and inventor, Ken Phillips’ ‘Superskin’ motorcycle helmet, which mimics the human body’s own skull and skin composition to reduce the rotational injury that often causes severe trauma or death during an accident.A well-received concept for the biker industry, the IDC design demanded careful combinations of material and engineering details to achieve the tough quality required and meet stringent safety regulations during testing.IDC was able to provide advice early on in the design process to ensure a watertight product development plan.
