WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Wichita State University officials say that an active marketing campaign has increased the amount of potential patents by school faculty and students.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Wichita State University Ventures, an arm of the school that assists with patenting and commercializing inventions or software, has sharply increased the number of invention disclosures by university faculty, staff and students in the last three years.

Ventures director Cindy Claycomb says invention disclosures are formal explanations on why university researchers’ inventions should receive patent protection.

Claycomb says that there were 16 invention disclosures in the year ending June 30, 2013. This year, ending June 30, saw 41 disclosures.

After receiving a disclosure, Ventures decides whether to file for a provision patent, which gives them a year to seek a full patent.