University-Industry research partnerships can take many different forms, depending upon the nature of the project and its deliverables.

While the UILO is encouraging and providing support for new and innovative partnership models, such as the Campus as a Living Lab and research consortia, the majority of collaborations will be enabled through one of the following types of agreements: (See our online Agreement Guide for assistance in identifying the most likely type of arrangement.)

Collaborative Research Agreements provide for the conduct of directed, collaborative, or joint research of mutual interest to the researcher and the company with shared rights and access to the results.

Grants-in-Aid are essentially donations to one or more researchers, normally to conduct research in an area that is of mutual interest to both the donor and the researcher.

Service Contracts are solely for testing, evaluation or analysis of materials or compounds owned by the Sponsor with no intellectual input or value-added by UBC.

Clinical Research Agreements, which may take the form of:

Investigator-Initiated Clinical Research Agreements involving research using human subjects, where the protocol is produced by the Principal Investigator;

or

Sponsor-Initiated Clinical Research Agreements, which are a special form of Fee-for-Service Arrangement that involve a trial using human subjects.

Government and Non-Profit Contracts and Agreements with legal terms and conditions in the form of contractual deliverables or intellectual property terms.

Other agreements relating to research partnerships include:

• Material Transfer Agreements, when materials are sent from one organization to another.
• Non-Disclosure Agreements or Confidentiality Agreements to provide assurances that confidential information is not disclosed. These agreements may consider one-way or two-way exchanges of confidential information.
• Space and Equipment Rentals, when under certain circumstances, the University may agree to rent space or facilities (including equipment) to third parties.

Research partners can also access UBC expertise and personnel through:

• Personal Consulting Arrangements, which are private arrangements between individual faculty researchers and a company on a fee-for-service basis; or
• Student Educational Projects, which provide opportunities for industry to engage with undergraduate and graduate students in educational projects.
• Student Co-ops and Internships, which provide valuable opportunities for students to get hands-on work experience and for industry partners to access talented personnel for short-term hiring periods.