Business & Industry

• For Business & Industry
• Collaborative & Applied Research
• Consultancy Services
• Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
• Licensing University Intellectual Property
• Access to facilities & servicesFacilities, Testing
• Commercial Contract Negotiations
• Training and Professional Qualifications

Commercial Contract Negotiations

At the University of Sheffield we value opportunities that allow us to work more closely with business and industry. Such interactions not only have obvious intellectual and commercial value but also provide the basis for real knowledge exchange.

Whatever the nature of the interaction with your business, we will ensure all legal and contractual matters are dealt with as swiftly and smoothly as possible. Once you have agreed in principle to work with a member of our academic staff, the University will work with your company and the relevant member of academic staff to ensure a mutually beneficial contract is in place prior to work commencing.

Whilst contractual relationships between your company and the University may take a variety of forms, ranging from collaborative research, through contract research to consultancy, the nature of this relationship will be properly reflected in any contracts we sign with you.

In order to make negotiations as smooth and transparent as possible, we have set out our initial negotiating position and contractual needs in a document which can be downloaded below. The document provides further information on the following areas:

• Ownership of results and arising Intellectual Property (Foreground IP)
• University Know-How and pre-existing knowledge (Background IP)
• Confidentiality
• Publication
• Warranties, Guarantees and Indemnities

Within these parameters the University will endeavour to be flexible and adapt its position to suit each individual case.