The Mack Institute for Innovation Management fosters collaboration between industry and academia to turn innovation research into real-world impact. To support this mission, the Mack Institute developed ComPo: the Health Technology Commercialization Assessment Tool. The project was initiated by Mark Yim, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, to answer a key question: How can we provide early-stage inventors with meaningful feedback to guide research toward potential commercial applications? The first prototype was created by students before it was later developed into a fully functional web-based tool.
Instructions and Detailed Information
What the CompPo Tool Does
ComPo helps users assess the commercial potential of new health technologies by:
- Generating problem statements and keyword suggestions
- Comparing inventions with existing patents and publications
- Estimating potential reimbursement fees
- Mapping the technology’s position within the broader innovation landscape
How to Use the ComPo Tool
Complete the Technology Form by providing:
- Technology Name – any name for your own records.
- Non-confidential Description – a short, public-safe overview of your invention.
- Number of Patents to Find – e.g., 10, 30, or 50 (larger searches may take longer).
- Number of Papers to Find – e.g., 10, 30, or 50 (larger searches may take longer).
- Number of Comparison Axes – select between 1 and 5.
Click “Generate Report.”
What Happens Next
3) What Happens Next
After submitting your information, the tool will:
1) Generate a Problem Statement and Search Keywords based on your input.
2) Create Comparison Axes with short descriptions.
3) Search for Relevant Patents and display:
- The selected number of patents with abstracts and ID numbers.
- Links to view each patent and download a full list.
4) Search for Related Publications and display:
- The selected number of papers with abstracts, publication dates, and authors.
- Links to view each paper and download a full list.
5) Provide a Detailed Comparative Analysis – a side-by-side evaluation of your technology versus related patents and publications using your selected comparison axes.
6) Visualize the Technology Landscape using PCA, showing:
- Technology clusters.
- Your technology’s position within those clusters.
- An explanation of the visualization.
7) Generate a Medical Assessment with recommendations for potential billable items.
Recommended Best Practices
To achieve the most accurate and meaningful insights, we recommend running two separate assessments, each with a distinct focus:
1. First Assessment — Describe the Technology Itself
The abstract should focus on the technology and include:
- What the technology is
- How it works
- How it is used in practice
- Which specific medical condition it helps manage or treat
- How it integrates into the management of that condition
(e.g., at which step of the patient pathway it intervenes, what clinical problem it addresses, and how it improves outcomes)
Purpose:
This approach enables the tool to identify:
- Comparable or competing technologies
- Similar mechanisms of action
- Solutions addressing the same clinical need
Benefit:
Essential for competitive landscape mapping and technology benchmarking.
2. Second Assessment — Describe Only the Disease
The abstract should focus exclusively on the disease or condition, without mentioning the technology.
Purpose:
Generates:
- A broad set of scientific publications related to the pathology
- Existing intellectual property (patents) targeting the disease
- A complete overview of all therapeutic or technological approaches currently used or investigated
Benefit:
Provides a deep understanding of the clinical, scientific, and technological environment surrounding the disease.
Data Privacy and Storage
- We strongly recommend entering only non-confidential information.
- If you wish to keep your report, please download it before closing your session.
- The current version does not auto-delete content.
- If you want your content to be removed, you must click the “Delete” button.
- You may also return to the link later and delete your content at any time.
- If you would like to share your results, you can simply share the link.