Use of the University of Washington name and logos
UW Marketing & Communications Guidelines
Companies that license UW intellectual property through CoMotion can factually state that they have a license from the University of Washington in public announcements and materials. Use of department, school, or other unit specific names requires approval from the applicable unit. Use of logos also requires prior approval. To request approval to use the CoMotion logo contact: [email protected]. To request approval to use the University of Washington or UW Medicine logo contact: [email protected].
Making public statements endorsing a company, or products being made by a company
When using their University of Washington title, UW faculty and staff can make factual public statements about companies and products. University of Washington faculty members and employees cannot use their University of Washington title to make a statement that endorses a company or a product. This includes when the faculty member or employee is a founder, consultant, or employee of a company. Please reach out to your department or school to seek approval in advance for quotes you wish to include in any public statement or on a website.
Below are examples of statements that would not be approved for use in public statements:
“Company X reports that as a result of its game-changing study conducted in collaboration with the University of Washington, thousands of lives will be saved through the use of its amazing drug XX.
Note: As an alternative, it would be acceptable to say something like “A study conducted by Company X and the University of Washington included 15 study participants and recently-published results showed a 10% decrease in XX symptoms.”
“Company X and Dr. Smith, world-renowned doctor at the University of Washington, just announced they are partnering to study cures for blood disorders using Company X’s new drug.
Note: As an alternative, it would be acceptable to say something like “Company X and the University of Washington will be conducting a study regarding the use of cell engineering techniques to treat certain blood disorders.”
What to say about CoMotion in a press release
When preparing to issue a team, company or joint press release, be sure to let your CoMotion Innovation Manager know well in advance so that our marketing team can review it and prepare to amplify it. There are two things that should be included in your press release:
1. Mention of how UW CoMotion supported your project or company, and refer to CoMotion as “the University of Washington’s collaborative innovation hub”.
For example:
“CoMotion, the University of Washington’s collaborative innovation hub, supported the work through patent filing and strategy, a CoMotion Innovation Gap Fund grant for support of early commercialization activities, and letters of support for other funding. CoMotion worked diligently with the company in completing its licensing of exclusive rights to the X (where X is, e.g, a compound, software, curriculum, etc).”
2a. Include the following Boilerplate at the bottom of the press release (see option 2b. below for inclusion of CoMotion Labs):
About the University of Washington and CoMotion
Established in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the world’s leading public research universities. With an enrollment of 60,000 students across more than 200 academic majors, the UW is dedicated to providing access to an excellent and affordable education for all students. The University is home to more than 100 members of the U.S. National Academies and is a leader in conducting life- and world-changing research on behalf of the American People. The UW has campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma, as well as UW Medicine, a world-class academic medical center with hospitals and clinics across the Puget Sound region. The UW School of Medicine’s unique WWAMI program educates physicians across five U.S. states. The UW has one of the nation’s elite intercollegiate athletics programs, consisting of 22 sports and inspiring champions on the field and in the classroom. Find more information at https://www.washington.edu/.
CoMotion at the University of Washington partners with the UW community on their innovation journey, providing tools, connections, and acumen to transform ideas into economic and societal impact. Find more information at https://comotion.uw.edu.
2b. Include the following Boilerplate at the bottom of the press release (use for inclusion of CoMotion Labs):
About the University of Washington and CoMotion
Established in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the world’s leading public research universities. With an enrollment of 60,000 students across more than 200 academic majors, the UW is dedicated to providing access to an excellent and affordable education for all students. The University is home to more than 100 members of the U.S. National Academies and is a leader in conducting life- and world-changing research on behalf of the American People. The UW has campuses in Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma, as well as UW Medicine, a world-class academic medical center with hospitals and clinics across the Puget Sound region. The UW School of Medicine’s unique WWAMI program educates physicians across five U.S. states. The UW has one of the nation’s elite intercollegiate athletics programs, consisting of 22 sports and inspiring champions on the field and in the classroom. Find more information at https://www.washington.edu/.
CoMotion at the University of Washington partners with the UW community on their innovation journey, providing tools, connections, and acumen to transform ideas into economic and societal impact. CoMotion Labs, part of CoMotion, serves as a multi-industry incubator for early-stage startups from the greater Seattle area, as well as the UW community. By providing essential infrastructure and opportunities for learning, mentoring, and networking, CoMotion Labs nurtures and enables success. Our Labs operate in four incubators: three located on the UW Seattle campus, each concentrating on a specific industry sector (life sciences, hardware, and technology), and one in downtown Seattle that focuses on climate tech. Find more information at https://comotion.uw.edu.
Social Media and other amplification
We want to spread the good news about your project or company! When you post to (or share a post on) social media, be sure to include CoMotion’s handles in the body of your post, or in the comments when sharing. When you do, we will see we have been tagged and will share your post. Our handles are: @uwcomotion on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, @uwcomotion.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @UW.CoMotion on Facebook. For CoMotion supported projects, we also use the #CoMotionSupported hashtag if possible. You can also supply us with copy and images to post — be sure to include any relevant handles if you do.
Other ways we may help amplify your news include writing a blog post, including your news in our newsletter, posting your news to the News section of our website, sharing with UW channels, or depending on its newsworthiness, we may even pitch to reporters at media outlets such as UW News, Geekwire, Xconomy, Puget Sound Business Journal, Seattle Times, Crosscut and others.