I want to work with Industry … where do I start?
Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) are commonly put in place when you enter into initial discussions about projects/collaborations with industry. An NDA is a legal agreement which defines information that the parties wish to protect from dissemination and outlines restrictions on use. NDAs are also valuable to protect the ability to patent an invention. If you are sharing new processes, unpublished data or other confidential information, you should protect your rights by having an NDA in place.
WPI prefers to use its own standard NDA. These terms and conditions have been vetted by WPI’s General Counsel’s Office and protect the needs and interests of both parties. If a company requires the use of its own terms and conditions, the Office of Sponsored Programs (in the context of sponsored research) or Intellectual Property & Innovation (in the context of patenting) will gladly review and negotiate them.
- Mutual/Exchange of Information
- WPI Owner of Confidential Information
- WPI Recipient of Confidential Information
Project Agreements are put in place when a collaboration has been agreed-upon. Answering the following questions will guide you to which template is most appropriate for your project. WPI’s IP Policy, which is reflected in our Sponsored Research Agreement template, can be found here
A) The company is paying for the project from company funds.
Which of the following best describes your project?
- A pre-existing research service (e.g., chemical characterization of sponsor-provided materials)? Use the Master Research Services Agreement Template.
- A project involving basic and/or applied research, which may result in inventions, software, prototypes, copyrightable works, or other intellectual property? Use the Sponsored Research Agreement Template.
- A small, short duration project which is typically a fixed-price agreement with up-front payment for an existing technology or testing technique. Use Agreement for Services.
- If in doubt, contact OSP.
B) The company is using funds received from a federal source (i.e., federal flow-through).
If the company is using federal funds to support a collaborative project, you cannot use any of WPI’s industrial templates since the agreement will need to reflect the terms and conditions of the prime funding source. Please contact OSP for assistance.
Some federal programs that fund university-industry collaborations require intellectual property agreements at time of proposal or award. Use one of the following templates as appropriate: