Tag Archives: commercialization

Consultant: Protect Thyself

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For economic impact and research translation, universities and faculty are attracting increased interest.  Industry has needs for testing, sponsored research, student involvement, and consulting.

Consulting activities offer splendid opportunities for faculty members to  increase  your effectiveness and broaden your experience in relation to your functions at OSU, as well as to be of service to the community, private sector, nation,  and/or world. Yet the development of  appropriate relationships with industry is becoming more complex.

Companies are becoming especially aggressive on intellectual property ownership clauses within consulting agreements. Certain clauses, if not modified, have the potential to block your OSU research well into the future.   For protection,  you need to make sure the agreement does the following – at least

  • Specifically excludes areas of current and potential future research at OSU
  • Constrains the intellectual property ownership obligation to the consulting time period
  • Limits the confidentiality period to a reasonable period (3-5 years)
  • Defines the scope of work specific to the work performed

Also, for your protection, please make certain all of your work is documented. A good practice is to keep separate notebooks for your consulting and for your work at OSU.

I’ve reviewed  many consulting agreements for faculty, and am happy to do so for you.  I’ll help make sure you are not providing conflicting obligations, and that you retain research freedom well into the future.

See more information

Thanks

- Brian Wall, Director, Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development, OSU

comments to this blog are welcome

Of Dogs, Ponies, and GRAs

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At the beginning of this academic year,  I was delighted to meet with a group of graduate research assistants to share insights into  “what research administration can do for you.”  After my dog-and-pony show about the services of the Research Office, the students raised sharp and important questions.

“What will the research opportunities be like out there as I finish my degree and move into the job market?”,  they asked. And “You’ve talked about the university’s obligation to bring the benefits of research out to the public – but what if I don’t see any commercial applications for my project?”

There was a concern:  “Equipment:  I am doing something that no one in my department has been involved in, and it’s been so hard to find the diagnostic tools equipment  I need.”

From our discussion, I learned of some areas that need administrative attention, and of issues that we must communicate about more effectively. I hope the GRAs learned some things  too.

It was of note to me that no one in the group raised questions about “compliance.”  I knew that the Grad School had recently conducted a survey, and  “compliance” did not rank among the issues on the minds of the GRA respondents . It isn’t surprising – when I was working on my advanced degrees at OSU, I also did not think about,  for example, the Institutional Review Board, or Animal Use policies.

But now as VP for Research, I strongly recommend that all students become aware of the regulations regarding human subjects, conflict of interest,  animal care and use  . . .  Even if they’re “just” conducting an innocuous survey, or doing “a little” work for their major professor’s start-up company, or “simply” using a pet in a pre-study, consideration of the compliance issues can help ensure the research is conducted smoothly.

I and others in the  Research Office are happy to meet with graduate students, individually or in groups. And we will conduct various informational sessions throughout the year. Let us know if you want to talk, or if there’s a topic you’d like to have addressed.

Thanks

- Rick Spinrad,  who went on to become OSU VP for Research
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