Service agreement / contract research

In a Service Agreement and in Contract Research, the company acts as the contracting party and the university as the contractor. The university carries out a relatively short task defined by the client, with a clear objective. The primary focus is on applying existing knowledge to such specific task defined by the industry partner (for example measurements and their evaluation, or testing substances in a model established at the university). The work is not expected to give rise to any inventions.
 

The scope of the research services to be provided by the university must be set out in detail in the agreement. Unlike a research cooperation, under a service contract the industry partner pays full costs at market-rates such as salaries, consumables, use of infrastructure, a contribution to overheads, etc. Where possible and in consultation with the industry partner, the university should be allowed to publish the results. The rights to the specific results produced in the course of the contract generally are owned by the industry partner.