CloseWho owns honorary appointee and visiting researcher intellectual property (IP)?
2 MINUTE READ
As an honorary appointee or visiting researcher, you have the same intellectual property (IP) responsibilities as staff. These involve identifying, disclosing, protecting and managing your IP.
If you have an honorary appointment at the University, or you're a visiting researcher, you may contribute to the creation of IP.
For example, when you create teaching materials as part of your appointment at the University, the University owns the IP. Teaching materials include:
- information, documents and materials you create or use for teaching at the University. This means all versions, including digital and other formats.
- adaptations or incorporations of scholarship, learning or research for teaching.
Examples include your:
- lecture notes you share with students
- computer-generated presentations
- course guides
- slides and notes
- exam scripts
- exam marking guides
- course databases
- websites and multimedia-based courseware.
Working under an agreement
Working under an agreement
A 'specified agreement' is an agreement between the University and an external organisation. It covers the ownership or use of IP created as part of an activity, including research. Examples include research grant agreements and research contracts.
If you’re working under a specified agreement:
- the University may own the IP you create under that agreement
- you must meet the obligations or terms of that agreement. For example, confidentiality obligations.
Computer programs and educational software
Computer programs and educational software
If you plan to develop a University computer program or software, speak to your Business Development team member about IP.
Your obligations
Your obligations
All University researchers, including honorary appointees and visitors, must disclose all new IPs to the University.
You need to do this whenever you have discovered or created something unique that could:
- have commercial value
- solve a significant problem
- be made into a product or service by an industry partner.
Tell us about your IP before you:
- publish
- present it at a conference
- send out a press release
- talk to anyone outside the University.
If you don’t, this can mean you can’t take your idea to market later.
The best time to disclose is early, at the draft manuscript stage. Ideally, this is months before communicating your IP to anyone outside the University, especially prospective investors.
When you disclose your IP to the University, it starts a process. This process could lead to the commercialisation of your discovery or creation. It can involve:
- the start of the IP protection process for your creation
- work to identify outside development partners
- obligations to your funding body, like reporting, if you used industry or government funds for your research
- a revenue share as the creator, if the University makes revenue from commercialising the IP you create.
Talk to us
Talk to us
General questions
If you have a general question or don’t know who to talk to, get in touch with us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
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Find a contact
Our local Business Development team members and central IP and Tech Transfer services team are here to help.
Business Development team
IP & Tech Transfer Services team