Collaborations with industry and/or societal partners
Often your research can be taken to the next level and create the most societal impact with the right partner. Luris can help you identify and find the best way to work with possible collaborators all over the world. Once a partner is found, both parties need to agree on the shape and form of the collaboration. Many flavours exist and they can be tailored depending on the needs of the inventor, the needs of the partner and the stage of the invention.
Luris can advise you on what kind of partnership is most suitable for your situation. The most recurrent types of collaborations are summarised here:
Licensing agreement
In case of a licensing agreement, the partner takes on the further development and commercialisation of the invention. In return the owner of the invention (LU or LUMC) receives milestone and/or royalty payments, if and when the invention and commercialisation progresses. A license agreement can be exclusive or non-exclusive and can be restricted to a certain territory and field of application, depending on the agreement.
Research collaboration
A research collaboration is focused on research. The researcher will perform (part of) the research, sometimes (co-)funded by the industry partner. Rights of any new intellectual property (IP) will be with the inventing party, however sometimes the partner may own the new intellectual property (IP) or will have an option to license the new IP, depending on the amount of funding provided.
Option agreements In an option agreement the conditions are outlined under which LU or LUMC reserves a right for a third party to negotiate a license for certain intellectual property (IP). Option agreements may be entered into with third parties wishing to evaluate the technology prior to entering into a full license agreement. Option agreements can be incorporated in a research collaboration agreement, or can be a separate agreement.
Interinstitutional agreement
An interinstitutional agreement, often referred to as a joint ownership agreement, is an agreement between two institutions on patent decisions, patent management, patent costs, ownership and commercialisation, in case a patent has inventors from different institutions.
Collaboration with societal partners
Societal partners are increasingly involved in research. In what ways can Luris support you in such collaborations? Below we discuss the most common forms of collaboration with societal partners.
Joint research programs
An increasing share of national and European research budgets is being allocated to collaborations between academic institutions and societal partners, such as companies or governments. If you work for the University, you can contact the University Grant Advisors. Also, we can help you to find the overviews with funding for collaborative research and scan whether there are any interesting calls for you. Examples are ZonMW and Horizon 2020.
Contract research
Contract research can be an effective way to generate additional research budgets, to initiate a long term collaboration or to get insight in practical problems and to contribute to their solution. In the context of contract research it is the client who determines the research objectives and the researcher who does the research. The client pays full cost plus an additional fee. If contract research results in intellectual property or results, then these are generally not owned by the researcher. Publications may be possible, but will require the client’s consent. It is therefore important to align expectations, and have clear agreements in place. We are here to support you in achieving exactly that.
Consultancy
Through consultancy you can apply your knowledge of your scientific discipline to solve a specific issue for a client. This concerns your knowledge of the publicly available information of your research group and beyond. The client pays full cost plus an additional fee, usually per hour or (part)day. Consultancy is an interesting way to generate additional research budgets or to get insight into practical problems and to contribute to their solution. It can also generate new research ideas. Research at the University of Edinburgh has shown that 65% of consultancy contracts leads to further interaction such as contract research and studentships.