Sponsored Research

An industry sponsored research agreement is a contract between Ohio State and a company for funding research at the university. This agreement includes terms around a number of areas, including the licensing of any intellectual property arising from the research. The university provides industry partners three options for the handling of intellectual property, including:

• an option to negotiate a license;
• a non-exclusive, royalty-free license with an upfront technology access fee; or
• an assignment of rights with an upfront technology access fee.

A technology access fee (TAF) is when a company pays an upfront fee before the research is conducted, and in exchange, the company receives known, up-front rights to any intellectual property that may result from the research. This option provides transparency and reduces the risks for companies when investing in external research. Please note that the TAF option is not available when there is university owned or controlled background intellectual property or for technologies in the health sciences. Learn more about upfront rights to project IP in sponsored research.

View our standard industry sponsored research agreement. For companies who intend to execute multiple research programs, Ohio State also offers a master research agreement to further streamline negotiations on individual research projects.

If you have additional questions about intellectual property, please contact Kevin Taylor, associate vice president of technology commercialization, by email or at 614-292-1315.

A service of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the Ohio Innovation Exchange promotes Ohio’s university-based research activities, professors and resources to a larger industry base, making it easier for businesses to find and partner with the state’s leading academics.

Not sure where to start or new to Ohio State? Let us know how you want to connect with the university and a member of our team will contact you.