Intellectual Property
»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ has a strong reputation for entrepreneurship, commercialisation and collaboration with research end-users, including industry, government and non-government organisations.Â
Our main purpose for creating and transferring knowledge is to achieve social, economic and environmental benefit. Partnerships help us to bring inventions to market and turn thought leadership into policy and services.
We take a pragmatic and flexible approach to IP to ensure the rights to research outcomes are shared in a way that promotes both the success of the commercial opportunity and future academic work.
Standard IP protocol
IP ownership tends to be managed based on each party’s contribution to the project (either in monetary terms or background IP).
For contract research projects that are fully funded by the partner and involve no significant background IP, the partner typically owns all IP.
In some grant-funded collaborations (such as ARC and NHMRC), »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ initially owns the IP as per terms imposed by the funder. IP can be licensed or assigned to support commercialisation.
In most instances, the IP involved in consultancy projects is owned by the partner.
IP scenarios
»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ has an entrepreneurial mindset that supports commercialisation while maintaining research access and integrity.
Intellectual property ownership depends on the nature of the collaboration and the resources that each party bring to the project. We have standard IP agreements for typical scenarios, but also develop bespoke contracts to meet the requirements of a project. We are transparent when negotiating arrangements and agree all terms upfront. It is important to us that commercial partners, entrepreneurs and investors have confidence in how IP rights are structured.
Key types of IP to consider are:
- Background IP – work created before or outside the collaboration by one of the parties involved.
- Project IP – the new IP being created during the collaboration.
- Third party IP – existing IP owned by someone not involved in the collaboration.
All agreements will define:
- Whether and when transfer of ownership will take place.
- Who has the right to exploit it.
- Who will pay for it.
- Whether improvements or modifications are allowed.
Scenario 1
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Partnership type
Contract research -
IP outcome
All IP generated through the project was owned by the company, enabling it to fast-track product development. »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ had the right to publish and use the data for educational purposes. Some partners view publication as part of their R&D comms strategy, while others prefer to limit public disclosures to protect sensitive information.
Scenario 2
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Partnership type
Grant-funded research with IP requirements -
IP outcome
»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ owned the IP and licensed it to the company under favourable terms. This arrangement meant the engineering company could apply the technology in real-world settings while »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ was able to publish research findings and contribute to environmental science.
Scenario 3
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Partnership type
Significant background IP -
IP outcome
»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ retained ownership of the core algorithm and licensed it to the healthcare company to use and further develop. A revenue-sharing model was adopted to allocate a portion of any commercialisation success to »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ. This agreement allowed the healthcare company to pursue market applications while »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ derived benefit from its foundational work.
Additional considerations
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»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ aims to support commercialisation while maintaining research access and integrity. For projects with ongoing academic value, »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ may retain the right to use IP for future research and continued advancement in the field. At the same time, the partner can apply the IP for commercial benefit.
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IP ownership is not the only pathway to commercialisation. We support flexible IP arrangements, including exclusive and non-exclusive licensing, assignments and reciprocal agreements, that enable partners to derive commercial value while preserving our ability to publish, teach or conduct further research.
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If »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ brings significant pre-existing IP to the project, our terms are tailored to allow for both parties to receive fair commercialisation benefits. Typically, »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ retains ownership of the background IP, while our partner is licensed to use it within the project scope. Any future commercial returns may involve a revenue-sharing model.
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We operate from the position that the party best placed to manage the IP across its full scope of technology and potential use should lead the commercialisation process.
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In some cases, such as collaborative projects with significant joint contributions or projects involving background IP, revenue-sharing arrangements can be set up to provide »Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ with a portion of the proceeds from successful commercialisation. These terms ensure that both parties (including the inventors) benefit equitably.
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»Ê¹Ú²ÊƱ acknowledges and respects Indigenous Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions as important assets belonging to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations. Indigenous knowledge reflects a community’s history, values, and their cultural and social identity. We take this into account in all relevant partnerships.