Contracts, agreements and intellectual property

Research contracts and agreements

The Office of Research provides assistance with all aspects of negotiating research contracts and agreements. The Office has developed a range of template agreements which are available upon request.

External organisations are not able to contract with Flinders staff, only with the university. Therefore staff members are not authorised to sign off on research contracts and agreements. These documents must be approved and signed on behalf of the university by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) or nominee.

For the purposes of contract processing in the Office of Research, a research contract is one in which the organisation offering the funding is listed on the Australian Competitive Grants Register (RTF), or the purpose of the activity covered by the contract is research-related (ie it advances the research endeavours and/or interests of the University). Contracts which do not meet either of these criteria need to be processed through your Faculty's General Manager's Office. If you are unsure whether your contract is a 'research contract', you should provide the contract to the Office of Research for a determination about its status in the first instance.

All research contracts are assessed by the Office of Research, which advises the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) on the nature and value of the contract, and on any possible risks to the university, and makes a recommendation as to whether the contract should be signed.

It is important to involve the Office of Research at the earliest possible stage of negotiating a research contract or agreement with a funding organisation or other university. This will ensure that the final document can be recommended for signing, and that the funding flow can commence as soon as possible.

With the exception of a contract associated with a grant from an organisation listed on the Australian Competitive Grants Register (RTF), all research contracts and agreements are priced to compensate the university for its infrastructure costs, in accordance with the Cost and Recovery Pricing Policy.

Intellectual property (IP)

The Office of Research can advise staff on aspects of IP relating to research contracts. The university's position on IP is set out in the Intellectual Property Policy and associated guidelines.

Intellectual property created by students

It is important for researchers to understand the university's position on the ownership of IP created by students.

If a student has been involved in the creation of IP which appears likely to be suitable for commercialisation, the university has a procedure by which the student IP is assigned to the university.

For more information, consult Clause 8 of the IP policy and Item 4 of the Guidelines.

Procedures for Student IP, Confidentiality and Contractual Agreements

Postgraduate students often work in collaboration with and/or are funded by an external or industry partner, and may be asked to enter into certain agreements about the outcomes or products of their research work, and publications along the way. The University manages these situations through a set of Procedures relating to Student Intellectual Property, Confidentiality and Contractual Agreements. It is important that students and their supervisors are familiar with these procedures.

Contacts for research contracts and IP

It is important to seek advice at an early stage on the development of a research contract (or the review of a contract that has been offered), and on intellectual property.

Health Portfolio

Julie Petticrew

Tel (08) 8201 5371

Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science (non-medical) Portfolio

Christine Maher

Tel (08) 8201 2045