FAQs: Contract research

• When working with an organisation do I need to treat the work as confidential?
• Who is authorised to sign contracts?
• At what stage do I get in touch with Research & Knowledge Transfer?
• How can Research & Knowledge Transfer help?
• Do you charge a fee?
• What is the difference between Contract Research and Consultancy?
• How will the contract be managed?
• What is the difference between Research & Knowledge Transfer, Research Accounting and Legal Services?
• What is IPR and where do I get advice?
• Who will do any negotiation?
• Can the University provide any warranties, guarantees and indemnities?
• What is a Security Plan (also known as Information Assurance)?
• What is a Research Framework?
• Who should I contact if I need more information?

When working with an organisation do I need to treat the work as confidential?

It may be appropriate to treat the information that you discuss with a sponsor as confidential. If you have any concerns about the material that you wish to discuss with a sponsor, it may be necessary to put in a Non-Disclosure Confidentiality agreement which can be done quickly and easily. Please give us a call and we can arrange this for you, or for more details visit the Legal Office website.

Who is authorised to sign contracts?

There are only a select number of people that have the authorisation to sign contracts on behalf of the University.  A number of these are based in Research & Knowledge Transfer, so if you have a research contract that needs to be signed, please get in touch and once the terms & conditions have been agreed we will arrange the necessary authorisations.

At what stage do I get in touch with Research & Knowledge Transfer?

If you think your project cold be Contract research, please get in touch with Research & Knowledge Transfer as soon as possible, even if only to have an initial discussion. We will be able to guide you through the process and make sure that you are covered throughout

How can Research & Knowledge Transfer help?

Research & Knowledge Transfer has extensive experience in dealing with sponsors on this type of work and will be able to guide you through the process as well as be able to help with the practical details of setting up this type of project.

Do you charge a fee?

No.

What is the difference between Contract Research and Consultancy?

The University has charitable status, with its core aims being to undertake research and higher education.  Contract research falls within the University's charitable remit, whereas commercial Consultancy activity does not.  As such Consultancy projects must be managed through the University's subsidiary company Exeter Enterprises Ltd.  See RKT's Decision Support Tool

How will the contract be managed?

In order to make everyone’s rights and responsibilities clear and to provide legal protection for all, the University will seek to set up an agreement to cover any research and consultancy activity with the organisation. To help streamline the process RKT has developed a set of template contracts appropriate to the nature of the work. Alternatively, we appreciate that some companies may wish to use their own contracts where we can manage the review and negotiation if required.

What is the difference between Research & Knowledge Transfer, Research Accounting and Legal Services?

Research & Knowledge Transfer will act as a central point of management for the project.  We will liaise with Research Accounting and your College for project costings. Research & Knowledge Transfer will draft standard contracts and if necessary will liaise with the Legal Office if client-issued contracts need reviewing or negotiating.

What is IPR and where do I get advice?

There are two types of IPR to consider when starting a project:

1. Background IPR: this is pre-existing information, techniques, know-how, software or materials that are provided by one party to another for use in a project.
2. Foreground IPR is any new techniques, know-how, software or materials created as a result of the project.

As a result of Contract Research, this will lead to the creation and use of intellectual property which is often a hotly debated topic with sponsors. It is therefore worth trying to come to an agreement with the sponsor regarding IPR as early as possible. We deal with IPR on a case-by-case basis and if necessary, we have a dedicated IP manager in Research & Knowledge Transfer to facilitate a fair compromise with the sponsor.

The University will normally prefer to own any Foreground IPR  However, regardless of the IPR ownership and arrangements for exploitation the University, as a charitable research and teaching institution, will always request a licence to use Foreground IPR for future publication, teaching and other academic purposes.

Who will do any negotiation?

Research & Knowledge Transfer can negotiate any aspect of the project that you wish, including the project scope, price, payments, IPR and terms and conditions.

Can the University provide any warranties, guarantees and indemnities?

It is the University’s policy to carry out work at the highest standards in order to maintain excellence. However, due to the nature of contract research it is not possible to provide any specific guarantees over results of a project. Furthermore we will not normally accept any liability for the use of any results by the sponsor.

As a publicly funded charitable institution the University would prefer not to expose itself to unlimited liability and will seek to limit this wherever possible.

What is a security plan (also known as Information Assurance)?

Government departments are increasingly expecting their information to be handled safely and securely by contractors.  RKT has been working with the University's Data Security Manager to put in place appropriate data security measures.

If your project requires any data security, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.

What is a research framework?

This is an agreement to be a preferred supplier of research for a sponsor for a defined period of time. In most cases, gaining a place on a framework requires submission of a tender and/or pre-qualification questionnaire.  RKT can provide support with these applications.

Contact the Contract Research and Consultancy team

We are always happy to talk with you to discuss your project and options.

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