Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How
will Full Economic Costing (fEC) affect my collaboration with industrial
sponsors?
Q. I am
planning a research project with a third party and I think I may need a contract
to cover this work. Who should I contact?
Q. Does
the University have standard agreements for collaborations with third parties?
Q. Where
can I find out information about costing studentships?
Q. Who do
I need to contact about questions relating to invoicing?
Q. How
long will it take to put a contract in place for my research project?
Q. What
are the key issues that the Research Operations Office considers in contract negotiations?
Q. I have
a project with an industrial sponsor. What do I need to send to the Research Operations Office to start the
contract negotiations?
Q. I am
currently discussing a research project with an industrial sponsor. At what
stage do I need to involve a Contracts Manager?
Q. I've
received a contract from a company for a research project which needs signing.
Can I sign this?
Q. How will Full Economic Costing (fEC) affect my
collaboration with industrial sponsors?
A. Please see
www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/fec/ where details about fEC can be found.
Q. I am planning a research project with a third party and I
think I may need a contract to cover this work. Who should I contact?
A. Please contact the Research Operations Office Contracts Manager, who will be able to
advise you. Details can be found on our
contacts page.
Q. Does the University have standard agreements for
collaborations with third parties?
A. Yes, the University has model agreements for research collaborations,
studentships and visitors' agreements. Details can be found on the
standard agreements page.
Q. Where can I find out information about costing
studentships?
A. The costs of a studentship normally include student maintenance, student
fees, travel expenses and consumables and may also include exceptional costs and
equipment. Information on student maintenance costs and fees (made up of college
and university fees) can be found on the
Board of Graduate Studies
website. For further information and confirmation of the costs for a specific
year, please contact the Board of Graduate Studies. Other costs can vary with
each studentship, but your Department Administrator or Head of Department can
help you determine these.
Q. Who do I need to contact about questions relating to
invoicing?
A. Get in touch with the
Awards Administrator who is dealing with your grant.
To find out who your Awards Administrator is, refer to correspondence regarding your grant or go see the
contacts page.
Q. How long will it take to put a contract in place for my
research project?
A. The time it takes to negotiate contracts varies considerably. It depends on a
number of factors, including the nature of the project and the availability of
the sponsor and their other commitments. The Research Operations Office will work very closely with you
throughout the negotiations and will inform you of the progress of the
discussions and any potential delays.
Q. What are the key issues that the Research Operations Office considers in contract
negotiations?
A. The main issues which we consider are ownership of intellectual property,
publication of results, confidentiality, liability limitation and termination.
More information about each of these can be found on the
Negotiating terms page.
Q. I have a project with an industrial sponsor. What do I
need to send to the Research Operations Office to start the contract negotiations?
A. We need certain information before starting the negotiating process to help
us negotiate a contract for a specific project efficiently:
- Completed pFACT project proposal, detailing all costs to be incurred in the
project as well as all funding/income
- Project summary
- Details of the industrial sponsor, including contact details of the main contact
for negotiations
- Details of any students involved in the project
- Details of any collaborators (external and internal)
- A list of all background intellectual property (IP) owned by the University or
the sponsor that you envisage using for the project
- An idea of IP, if any, that you envisage arising from the project
- Any information regarding the sponsor's expectations about ownership or
licensing intellectual property
- Details of any separate projects that you have done, are currently conducting,
or wish to conduct with different collaborators/sponsors that may impact on IP
ownership in this project.
Q. I am currently discussing a research project with an
industrial sponsor. At what stage do I need to involve a Contracts Manager?
A. Since your Contracts Manager will be negotiating and approving the contract,
it is a good idea to involve them at an early stage so that you and the sponsor
are aware of the terms that the University would usually expect in a research
contract, and that they understand your project and issues. This will speed up
the negotiation process.
Q. I've received a contract from a company for a research
project which needs signing. Can I sign this?
A. No, all contractual paperwork for externally sponsored research should be
signed by the University signatory, as a legal representative of the University.
The Faculties, Departments and Centres cannot legally bind the University, and
all contracts should state the University as the contracting party, not the
Department or the PI. PIs are especially discouraged from signing contracts to
avoid personal liability. A signature from anyone other than authorised
representatives of the University may make a contract invalid. All contractual
paperwork should be sent to your Contracts Manager.
Need further information?
Please
contact the Contracts Manager
in the relevant team.
