Collaborative Research Agreements involve research of mutual interest to the researcher and the Sponsor, with shared rights and access to the results. There is an expectation that there may be new or incremental intellectual property developed within the project, and both parties typically bring background intellectual property to the table.
The project scope is defined jointly, the sponsor may contribute in-kind in addition to cash, and ownership of inventions or other intellectual property vests (belongs) to the parties that contributed to the invention. It is expected that Masters and Ph.D. students take part in the research, although postdoctoral fellows and research assistants are routinely involved. Funding for the lead investigator is rare and may not be possible if the project is leveraged through a federal or provincial granting program.
Project timelines take into account the students’ course commitments and the academic calendar year, and the deliverables are largely reports on progress, although other deliverables may be included. The Sponsor will require possible delays on publications to protect confidential or potentially commercializable intellectual property, but the publication needs of the student must be taken into consideration.
Commercial rights to the arising intellectual property are negotiated and can vary depending on the nature of the collaboration and the contributions of both parties.
For more information on setting up collaborative research agreements, please contact an OSR Grants and Agreements Officer.