A key way in which UBC engages with external communities is through building research partnerships of mutual interest.

In 2011/12, researchers at UBC and its affiliated hospitals were involved in 977 research projects with industry partners, with combined funding valued at $43m. There were also more than 979 research contracts and agreements (not including grants) with government and non-profit partners with funding of $93m.

The UILO Sponsored Research Group negotiates, drafts and administers these agreements for The University of British Columbia, and undertakes many of these tasks for UBC's Affiliated Hospitals.

The contractual services provided by the UILO include:

• Assisting in establishing the appropriate agreement
• Assisting/advising with budget preparation
• Negotiating/Reviewing agreement with sponsor
• Signing on behalf of UBC
• Setting up PG and Research Project Budget

 In recent years, the UILO has been making significant improvements to the ways it handles sponsored-research arrangements.

When to Contact the UILO

The UILO should be your first port of call to handle:

• Industry:
  Grants, Service Contracts, Collaborative Research Agreements, Clinical Research Agreements
• Government and Non-Profit Organizations:
  Research agreements with contractual terms, deliverables (non-grants)
• Non-disclosure Agreements
• Material Transfer Agreements

When to Contact the Office of Research Services

The Office of Research Services (ORS) should be contacted for research grants from:

• NSERC
• SSHERC
• CIHR/MSFHR
• NCI
• CRC/CFI
• UBC Internal Grants
• Government and Non-profit grants

Other Resources and Opportunities

NSERC has a number of programs to generate and nurture industry engagement with academic research. These include:

• Interaction Grants
  Build a new relationship with an academic researcher.
• Engage Grants 
  Undertake a short-term R&D project to address a specific problem.
• Collaborative Research and Development
  Conduct a focused long-term R&D project with a university researcher.
• Industrial Research Chairs
  Participate in a significant long-term research project.
• Partnership Workshops Grants
  Organize a workshop with university faculty to address your research and technology needs.