Industry Collaborations
ICD is here to help you partner with Industry

There are many ways to partner with industry

Sponsored Research Agreements (SRA) 

SRAs are used when an industry sponsor funds a specific research project for a defined time period and in return receives certain deliverables such as research data, reports and certain rights to intellectual and tangible property. Joint publications are not anticipated in straight Sponsored Research Agreements.

Collaboration Agreements 

Collaboration Agreements are established between UCSF and industry partners when they work together on research projects and both parties agree to contribute resources. A collaboration agreement may or may not include funding to support the work in the academic laboratory. In a typical collaboration agreement, an industry partner and UCSF each contribute materials, equipment, personnel and/or specialized expertise to the project. Typically, parties to the collaboration agreement share and discuss their data and results and often publish jointly.

Subcontracts 

Subcontracts are also common. ICD will help you with subcontracts when the funding source is either from a for-profit (industry) or the grant holder is a for-profit entity (such as SBIR/STTR grants).

How ICD can work with you and your partner to set up your collaboration:

ICD will help to protect your ideas with a confidentiality agreement

Contacting ICD early in the process of planning a research project in collaboration with industry researchers will allow us to make sure that the confidentiality of your ideas and research plans are protected so that open scientific discussion and dialog can occur.

Developing your scope of work and budget

You play a big role in the agreement process by developing a research plan (Scope of Work) in collaboration with your partner.

This Scope of Work will help ICD determine the best way to structure your agreement. Share this with your ICD Professional or simply email the Industry Contracts group. If any questions come up along the way or you would like help in developing your research plan, don’t hesitate to call us and discuss.

If funding is contemplated, you will also need to prepare a budget. For non-clinical budgets, you should work in collaboration with your ICD professional.  Your ICD representative will prepare, finalize and submit a budget. (See Clinical Trials for how to manage clinical budgets).

ICD will negotiate an agreement with the partner

The ICD Professional assigned to your department will review, negotiate and execute the appropriate research agreement with the sponsor on your behalf, and will also ensure all potential compliance and conflict of interest issues are resolved. They will keep you updated and informed until the agreement is fully executed.

ICD follow-up

ICD will also follow up with you periodically to obtain updates on the research progress, pending publications, new inventions, and reporting to the industry sponsor. If you have an alliance manager participating in your collaboration, they will have an active, ongoing role in these activities.