Agreements & Policies
The Office of Research, Technology Transfer Services manages the agreements and enforcement of USU policy related to intellectual property created at USU.
Agreements
When third parties are interested in your intellectual property, written agreements are usually required to protect you and USU. Technology Transfer Services has the authority to draft and execute the following types of agreements.
Employee/Student Non-Disclosure Agreement
An Employee/Student Non-Disclosure Agreement protects the privacy of those affiliated with USU. Some types of documents and personal information are considered confidential and are not available for private use. This includes any sensitive information that may intrude on the personal lives of employees or students of Utah State.
Intellectual Property License
An Intellectual Property License is an arrangement between an institution that owns or controls intellectual property and a company that wishes to use, commercialize or otherwise gain access to the intellectual property. Licenses often include terms relating to royalties, maintenance fees, performance milestones, termination and expiration conditions, and the allocation of associated risk.
Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA)
An Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) sets the conditions and cost sharing of filing, prosecuting and commercializing a patent application when multiple institutions have contributing inventors. IIAs are most often employed when USU and another institution jointly develop and, as a result, jointly own intellectual property.
Joint Research Agreement (JRA)
A Joint Research Agreement (JRA) outlines the collaborative research and commercialization plans of two or more parties. JRAs are often executed at USU when two institutions win a research grant that is likely to result in commercialized intellectual property.
Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) preserves the rights of a party transferring materials to another party. MTAs are generally used at USU when research materials are being transferred from the university to another research or commercial institution or vice versa.
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) preserves the confidentiality of a party’s information. At USU, NDAs are often executed prior to USU having substantive discussions and meetings with another party where non-public, patentable or otherwise sensitive information will be discussed.
Request for Protected Record Status
Through a Request for Protected Status form, a document may become confidential and unavailable for public viewing. This is to protect trade secrets, sensitive business information and privacy of financial information. The information or document will be given a protected status if the request is approved.
For more information, contact Christian Iverson at (435) 797-9620 or christian.iverson@usu.edu.
Policies
While working with Technology Transfer Services, Utah State policies will be followed to protect the best interests of all parties.
- Conflict of Interest (USU Policy 545) - Utah State University and its employees are protected from the pursuit of outside interests through the Conflict of Interest Policy. The aim of the policy is to encourage integrity, quality and development in institutional research and education programs.
- Consulting Services (USU Policy 377) - Utah State University faculty and staff may provide professional expertise to communities on a consulting basis. Should the university find these working relationships beneficial to all parties, employees may take time away from their university role to consult outside entities.
- Contract Signature Authority and Delegation (USU Policy 528) - In an effort to minimize financial and legal risks, Utah State University uses the Signature Authority and Delegation Policy to protect the institution in its legally binding contracts.
- Extra Service Compensation (USU Policy 376) - This policy is designed to establish an institutional expression of support for appropriate operations-based standards for employees who contribute to the university within and outside their primary work assignments.
- Intellectual Property (USU Policy 587) - The Intellectual Property Policy protects the discoveries, patents, inventions, etc. of USU employees or students. The policy includes a clarification of ownership rights and encourages the production of intellectual property that will benefit the USU community.
- Open Access (USU Policy 586) - Employee scholarly articles are shared by Utah State University in order to continue the mission of serving the public through learning, discovery and engagement. USU may incentivize creation and distribution of new work through exclusive, limited rights to authors.
- Trademark Licensing (USU Policy 510) - Utah State University has the right to guarantee proper use of all USU trademarks. This includes the ability to protect trademarks from unauthorized parties and strengthen trademarks through retailers, campus departments, student organizations, etc. The royalty revenues gained through the proper use of trademarks funds scholarships for USU students.