Once the top several technology or intellectual property candidates have been identified, the organization should drill down further in steps three to five of the Evaluation Process for a New Technology figure to identify and assess all the relevant technology and intellectual property licensors by performing the following tasks:  compile a list of intellectual property that can be used to fulfill requirements; list all the likely providers of the required intellectual property. Identify competitors, startups, think tanks, universities, etc.; perform research to identify patent applications and patents which appear to provide the necessary intellectual property; determine the relationship between the company and the target licensors. Are the target licensors customers? Are the target licensors competitors?

Results of studies, as outlined in the last step of the Evaluation Process for a New Technology figure, typically produce between 20 to 100 page PowerPoint decks (See Appendix I of this Chapter).  This is required background for making a sound business decision.  Because of the richness of the information all findings should be summarized in a one-page SWOT for project to project comparisons.

When the resulting list of potential technology and/or intellectual property providers includes more than one organization, the target technology/IP providers should be evaluated and prioritized. Pros and cons of licensing from each target provider should be studied. The organization should reevaluate whether licensing-in is really the optimal method to obtain the needed technology and intellectual property rights.