research cooperation

Research cooperations are the most common form of collaboration between industry partners and the university. In a research cooperation, industry partners and university research groups work on a joint research project of interest to both parties. The focus is on generating new scientific findings that may be of use to the industry partner.
 

Typically, the industry partner makes a financial contribution to the university research group for carrying out the project. It benefits from the academic partner's expertise in the relevant field, often built up over many years. Researchers from the industry partner are frequently involved in the cooperation, and there is an intensive exchange.
 

A research plan annexed to the contract defines which work is carried out by which party. The Research Cooperation Agreement governs the rights and obligations of the partners, for example concerning the protection and commercial use of the intellectual property arising from the project.
 

The university is obliged to publish the results of its research. Where necessary, publications may be delayed for a short period in order to patent protect interesting results.

Intellectual property created or developed by university personnel is owned by the university, not to the individual researcher. The industry partner is usually granted an option to acquire a royalty-bearing licenseto the intellectual property created by the university personnel in the course of the research cooperation.