IP Collaborative Research & Model Agreements in the UK

Intellectual asset management for universities (1.04Mb)

This guide aims to help senior university managers set strategies to optimise the benefits from the intellectual assets created by their staff and students. "Intellectual assets" is a broad term that varies in definition; in the context of this guide, "Intellectual assets" extends beyond intellectual property rights to the know-how and trade secrets of the staff and students.

Lambert Collaboration Tool-kit

The Lambert Tool-Kit for Collaborative Research includes a decision guide, model agreements and guidance materials to facilitate contract negotiations involving publicly-funded research organisations (eg. universities) and companies.

The Lambert tool-kit is designed to help collaborating parties get to grips with issues relating to the ownership and exploitation of any IP rights generated in research projects, publication rights and the financial framework.

The Lambert website was originally launched in February 2005 and comprised five model one-to-one agreements between an academic and an industry partner. It was re-launched by the Rt. Hon. John Denham, who was Secretary of State for the Department for Innovation. Universities and Skills, in October 2008. A significant feature of the new Lambert website is the four model consortium agreements which cater for a range of scenarios in research projects that involve several parties.

UK professional organisations

The UK has three bodies which cater for knowledge transfer professionals: PraxisUnico , AURIL and the Institute of Knowledge Transfer . The Technology Strategy Board hosts the Knowledge Transfer Networks which cater for different scientific and technical disciplines.

Launch of a new model agreement between the pharmaceutical and biomedical industries, universities and the NHS

The National Institute for Health Research through its Office for Clinical Research Infrastructure (NOCRI) and the Medical Research Council have led a working group which included the Intellectual Property Office to develop this agreement.

Use of the model Industry Collaborative Research Agreement (mICRA) will enable research studies involving industry, universities and the NHS to start faster by shortening the negotiation and contracting process.

The template model contract, supporting decision tree and full guidance information can be downloaded from the NOCRI pages of the NIHR website .