Collaborative research between universities and government organisations or industry plays a critical role in the overall innovation ecosystem. To manage these projects, the parties will need to discuss and agree a research agreement.
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Within the HERC IP Framework, there are three research agreements: one in the Accelerated track, and two in the Standard track:
Accelerated Track
- Accelerated Research Agreement – when a university is engaged with a collaborator (either a government organisation or industry) on a fully funded or partly funded basis to undertake a low-risk research project. Further guidance on when it is appropriate to use this agreement is given below.
Standard Track
- Standard Research Agreement – as above but additionally where the project is higher risk and not suitable for the Accelerated Research Agreement. Further guidance on how to decide whether to use an Accelerated of Standard track agreement is given below
- Multi-party Collaboration Agreement – for the management of multi-party collaborations (3 or more parties)
Changes to research agreements after they are signed are not uncommon (for example, if additional funding is received, or the project is extended). In these circumstances, a Variation Agreement should be used to record the agreed changes. Templates are provided, one for amending the two-party research agreements (either the Accelerated Research Agreement or the Standard Research Agreement) and one for amending the Multi-party Collaboration Agreement.
Is my project a research collaboration or is it the provision of a technical (consulting) service?
A first step is to establish if your project is a research collaboration or whether you want to procure technical (consulting) services from a university partner. This is important as the different arrangements need very different approaches to how a project is structured and managed, IP ownership and rights to use the outcomes of the work, and risks/liabilities.
A collaborative research project involves:
- both parties being involved in planning the project and in deciding on the research plan
- the university, or both parties, contributing their intellectual property (Pre-existing IP) and/or tangible materials to deliver the project
- investigative research where the end result is not known at the outset, but could lead to a new process or product or just scientific knowledge. This research may make use of only university personnel and facilities, or could also involve research at the industry partner
In contrast, the provision of technical (consulting) services involves an industry partner accessing expertise at the university, for example to help a company test their product, with the work specified by the company. The output for the work is often a written report. For further guidance, please see the Providing Services and Equipment guidance pages.
Which research agreement to use?
If your research project involves three or more parties, then the Multi-party Collaboration Agreement must be used.
For two party research collaborations, both the university and the industry partner should consider the following factors to decide whether to use the Accelerated or Standard Research Agreement. Independent advice or further information from the other party may be needed to make an informed judgement.
The Accelerated template is intended for lower risk transactions, and is designed to be used with minimal customisation or negotiation. The Standard template is used for more complex, higher risk projects and provides greater flexibility to cater for different scenarios.
If you cannot agree on which agreement is appropriate, the Standard Research Agreement is recommended.
- Is the value of the activity or project less than $250,000? For most lower value projects, the Accelerated Research Agreement will be appropriate, and will streamline the process of negotiating and finalising an agreement, which can otherwise be costly and time consuming for both parties. However, if the risks in the project are high and/or specific risks are identified, then the Standard Research Agreement will be more suitable, for example, if:
- the parties agree to include an indemnity
- one party is a foreign entity
- the project is complex (for example, in terms of the technical work being performed)
- the proposed intellectual property arrangements are complex (for example, multiple types of intellectual property being licensed with different licensing approaches)
- there are existing arrangements in place between the parties (for example, joint venture arrangements)
- What has your internal risk assessment returned? Before starting a project, each party should carry out their own risk assessment. Factors to consider include:
- what is the potential legal exposure the project may create?
- could this project lead to a breach of intellectual property rights, including patent or copyrights?
- will this project involve significant physical or environmental risks?
If the internal assessment indicates a low to medium risk for the project, then the Accelerated Research Agreement would be appropriate. This risk assessment may also be used to determine an appropriate liability cap for the agreement, based on the assessed level of risk. For the Accelerated Research Agreement, the liability cap would generally not exceed $250,000. If the proposed liability cap is higher than $250,000, the Standard Research Agreement may be more appropriate
- Are indemnity or warranty provisions needed? If one or both parties require indemnity and/or warranty provisions, then it is recommended that a Standard Research Agreement is used, as this includes more comprehensive warranties and an indemnity clause that can be customised as required. The Accelerated Research Agreement only requires each party to warrant that, to the best of that party's knowledge and belief, it has the rights to vest ownership of, and grant licences to, the relevant IPR under the agreement
- Are additional arbitration or mediation systems needed? The Accelerated Research Agreement has a simplified dispute resolution process and does not include an internal escalation mechanism or arbitration arrangements to help to resolve disputes. If these are needed, then the Standard Agreement is recommended
When to use a Variation Agreement?
- After signing, changes to the agreement may be needed during a project (for example because research results lead to a change in the future research plans, or if the parties need to extend the project). Any changes should be agreed and recorded in a Variation Agreement that is signed by all parties. This ensures that everyone knows what has changed and has given their written consent. The exception is changes to the project plan in the Multi-party Collaboration Agreement, which can be agreed by the Governance Committee
- A Variation Agreement should not be used to change the form of the agreement – for example, to include additional rights such as a licence to IP rights or new technical (consulting) services or access to equipment. A separate, additional agreement using the appropriate template will be needed
Key Considerations
The following table is provided as a guide to help the parties appreciate the key considerations that each party will have when negotiating any collaboration agreement.
Discussing and understanding each party’s needs and concerns up front will help you reach an agreement more quickly and will help you apply the applicable template to reach a fair agreement.
For organisations, particularly SMEs, that do not have any experience of collaborating with universities, this table will help you understand what key provisions of a collaborative research agreement and what you need to have considered before you start discussions with the other party.
Further information on how to complete each of the different research templates is provided with the respective guides and template agreements. Additional plain English guidance on the meaning of key clauses is provided in a separate annotated version of the template.
Resources
- Accelerated Research Agreement template and accompanying plain English guide - For low value and low risk projects between two parties
- Standard Research Agreement template and accompanying plain English guide - For two-party projects that are not suitable for the Accelerated Research Agreement
- Variation Agreement (two parties) and accompanying plain English guide – For recording changes to the Accelerated or Standard Research Agreements
- Multi-party Collaboration Agreement and accompanying plain English guide – For the management of multi-party collaborations
- Variation Agreement (multi-party) and accompanying plain English guide – For recording changes to the Multi-party Collaboration Agreement
Sources of further information
IP Australia provides further guidance that you may find helpful on how to make collaborations a success and a collaboration checklist to assist in systematically considering common collaboration issues:
This table sets out the key points each party needs to consider when entering a research collaboration. Understanding your own key considerations, as well as those of the other party, will help you to negotiate a fair and reasonable agreement that works for both parties. Further guidance on how each of these points is approached in the individual research agreement templates is given with the respective template
Key points | Research Agreement Provision | University | Collaborator |
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Details of the Project |
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Project Funding |
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Use of Third Party Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) |
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Use of Pre-existing IPR |
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Ownership of IPR in the Project IP |
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Use of the Project IP (for internal use) |
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Use of the Project IP (for commercialisation – selling products or services) |
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Liability |
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Indemnity |
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Dispute Resolution |
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Insurance |
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