Collaboration and Intellectual Property

The CU Innovations Office provides consulting and tools for management of intellectual property rights in collaborative projects. Collaborations can involve more than one research group, multiple research institutions or companies. 

Small-scale collaborative projects can benefit from a Project Participation Agreement. If a the goal of a project is to build research assets that can have commercial value, it is a good practice for all project participants to agree on common goals for the project and the rules for accessing and distributing the common research assets. A Project Participation Agreement can also be a mechanism to sustain the project with commercialization income that is directed towards support of the project.

Large-scale projects across multiple institutions and companies should have an Intellectual Property Management Plan to clarify rights to background and foreground intellectual property created under the project. Some IP Management Plans also involve a confidentiality agreement to govern the use of proprietary information and a commercialization plan that meet the needs of funders as well all collaborating organization.

CU faculty joining projects hosted at other institutions are often asked to sign Project Participation Agreements or IP Management Plans. CU Innovations can review and approve such agreements on behalf of the university.