human: Why should I search patents in my research?
assistant: Using all the available sources of information is a key factor in remaining at the cutting edge of research in today's high-powered world of science. Do you want to know whether your research results are novel and perhaps patentable as well? Or whether a colleague from a competing study group has patented his results?Searches in scientific databases are, of course, essential. But: did you know that many results from industry can often be found only in patent databases, because patent applications across the world have to be published by the relevant patent offices? Unfortunately, these valuable sources of information are still used all too rarely by academic researchers.The portal SciFinder (accessed via the Library website) offers a search facility for all DKFZ researchers. SciFinder can be used to find publications from over 10,000 journals and patents from 63 patent offices. If you discover during a search that you have found a new solution to a technical problem, this probably involves an invention, in which case please report this to the Office of Technology Transfer.