Step 2 - Identify end users and potential licensees
Approach
Because the Quicklook assessment depends on primary research, this step is critical. After the markets have been identified in Step 1, it should be relatively easy to identify who the customers would be in those markets and who manufactures similar products for the market. The best sources are usually companies that manufacture similar products, because they will be more global in their response to the invention. A potential licensee will react to the invention by indicating how many customers may be interested in a product and be more aware if a similar product is already on the market. When potential licensees cannot be identified, potential customers of the product are also good sources of information about the invention. While their responses usually deal more with specific uses in their operations, they sometimes can offer information about competing products or more importantly, a manufacturer that might be interested in the product that was not previously identified.
