Contracts and agreements

ORS coordinates the development, review, negotiation, and finalization of research contracts and agreements. We assist researchers with a wide range of funded and non-funded agreements and guide them through the review process.

Services

information about UVic policies relating to research contracts and agreements
information about UVic’s standard contract terms and conditions
drafting agreements and amendments
coordinating institutional review of agreements drafted by a partner organization
obtaining appropriate signatures for the contract
working with Research Accounting to administer research funding contracts
working with Research partnerships to meet contractual obligations for the protection or commercialization of intellectual property

Contract review process

If UVic is named as a party to an agreement, it must comply with the External Research Funding Agreements Policy, Research Policy and Signing Authority Policy. Research Agreements Facilitators coordinate the development, review, negotiation and finalization of research agreements to ensure that terms and conditions are consistent with UVic standards.

Note: Adjunct professors cannot be the Principal Investigator for funding agreements. Adjuncts will need a tenured faculty member (associate or full regular professor) to be the principal investigator of record.

Pre-review checklist

To submit a new contract for review, please email contract@uvic.ca, include any draft agreements and highlight key deadlines.

We will not review any agreements without the receipt of the following approved documents:

Research Application Summary Form (Submitted through RAIS)
Project budget
Project proposal

Review and negotiations

We will assign a research agreements facilitator to the file and negotiate the terms of the agreement with the external party. Agreements may be reviewed by General Counsel, the Chief Privacy Officer, Safety and Risk Management, or Occupational Health, Safety and Environment as part of this process.

Contract Approval Form (CAF)

Once a draft agreement has been finalized, the Research Agreements Facilitator will email the Principal Investigator with a Contract Approval Form (CAF). By signing the CAF, the Principal Investigator confirms that they have read the agreement in full and agree to abide by the terms as they are laid out.

Signing

Once a signed CAF is received, the Research Agreements Facilitator will coordinate the signature process in accordance with the UVic Signing Authority Policy. Researchers, chairs, deans, and centre directors are not authorized to sign research contracts on their own. Once signed, the Research Agreements Facilitator will email a copy of the fully executed agreement to the Principal Investigator and signers. The signed agreement will also trigger accounting processes to assign incoming funds a FAST account.

Project Participant Agreement (PPA)

The Project Participant Agreement (PPA) binds any individual working on the research project to the terms of the agreement. It confirms that the individual has read the agreement and assumes the contractual obligations. The Research Agreements Facilitator will provide the PPA to the Principal Investigator, and it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to return signed PPAs to contract@uvic.ca. The file opened by ORS will be closed once all PPAs are received.

For more information about PPAs, please see our PPA Frequently Asked Questions.

Research agreements

ORS assists UVic researchers with a wide range of funded and non-funded agreements. If you are unsure of the type of agreement necessary for your project, please contact us.

Funded research agreements

collaborative research agreements set out the arrangements for joint research of mutual interest to a researcher and sponsor. Typically these include shared rights to the results.
sponsored research agreements involve a researcher defining a research plan to address a specific issue identified by the sponsor. The sponsor typically owns reports or other deliverables, with the researcher retaining rights to the methodology for research or academic purposes.

Material transfer agreements

Material transfer agreements (MTAs) are required when research material is being transferred from one organization to another. If your supplier requires an MTA to order chemicals, biological materials, or other research materials, please contact us as soon as you know to avoid delay in processing your order. If your MTA deals with material that you are planning to commercialize, it will be processed by an Industry Liaison Officer at Research Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilization.

Non-disclosure agreements

A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) protects confidential information from being disclosed or used for a purpose other than the reason it was provided. In research projects, NDAs are needed when confidential information is being provided as part of the project, whether conveyed orally or in writing. The NDA will identify the use of the information and how it will be transferred and protected. It is the responsibility of the party providing the confidential information to clearly identify that the information is confidential.

UVic’s Research Policy does not allow secret research, so it is impossible to agree that no information about a research project will be disclosed; however, when appropriate UVic can provide the assurance that third party confidential information will be protected.

Confidential information excludes information that is:

already known by the recipient
independently developed by the recipient
disclosed to the recipient by a third party without an obligation of confidentiality
in the public domain (at the time of disclosure or during the term of the agreement)
disclosed according to a judicial or administrative order

Intellectual property agreements

Intellectual property (IP) is the result of intellectual or artistic activity. IP is not the intellectual or artistic idea but the expression of that idea. IP examples include inventions, publications, software, works of art and industrial or artistic designs. At UVic, IP can be created by a member of the university in a scholarly, professional, or student capacity.

The UVic Policy on Intellectual Property governs copyright ownership and use of IP created by members of the university in their university-related work and/or using university resources. Under this policy, faculty, staff, and students own the copyright in works they create through teaching and research. Exceptions are allowed when the terms of a research agreement require different IP terms.

Contracts staff and other members of RPKM work closely to develop IP agreements that set out ownership and licensing arrangements for new and pre-existing intellectual property. To discuss IP related to your research, please get in touch with an Industry Liaison Officer.

Facilities and equipment use agreements

Facilities or equipment use agreements grant access to UVic lab space or research equipment. In some cases, equipment may be loaned by UVic to another party.

Network and affiliation agreements

Network or affiliation agreements set out governance and guiding principles for multi-organization projects, including roles and responsibilities of specific collaborating organizations to the network as a whole. They also define guiding principles and parameters for a general research relationship between UVic and another institution.

Data sharing agreements

A data sharing agreement (DSA) is required when sensitive data or information is being shared between institutions. A DSA sets out the terms and conditions for collection, transfer, use, storage and security.

Standard terms agreements

ORS has established standard terms for key awards and fellowships.

NSERC Alliance

The Alliance grant program of the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) offers funding to support research collaborations between university researchers and partner organizations, which can be from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

Application Instructions

Contact an Industry Liaison Officer (ILO) to discuss the intellectual property (“IP”) which is expected to arise from the project.
Submit a Research Application Summary Form through RAIS, any required NSERC forms, and, if required, the Acknowledgment and Agreement to Accept Standard Terms.

Mitacs

Mitacs Accelerate internships and Mitacs Elevate fellowships allow UVic graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to intern with local businesses and conduct research that has industrial relevance.

Mitacs program information, including details of available funding and intern/sponsor eligibility criteria is available at:

IP and other terms and conditions

At UVic, intellectual property arising from a Mitacs Accelerate or Elevate project may be:

owned by the sponsor in accordance with the ‘Sponsor-Owned Terms’ set out in 'Appendix 1: Option 1’ of the UVic Standard Sponsored Research Terms, or
creator-owned in accordance with the ‘Creator-Owned Terms’ set out in 'Appendix 1: Option 2’ of the UVic Mitacs Program Terms, or
owned in accordance with a pre-negotiated agreement between the sponsor and UVic for a special sponsor program having general application to university student/postdoctoral research internships and fellowships.

At the application stage the intern, academic supervisor, and sponsor should confirm through the Acknowledgment and Agreement which terms and conditions will apply to the proposed project. Without such confirmation, the ‘Sponsor-Owned Terms’ shall apply. Submit the completed Acknowledgment and Agreement to ORS with the Mitacs application.

Note: IP created in the first year of a Strategic Fellowship Program will not be considered arising IP belonging to the second year industry sponsor, unless such an arrangement is desired and confirmed by written agreement between the creator(s), UVic and the sponsor. Email us if you wish to pursue such an agreement.

SSHRC Partnership and Partnership Development Grants

SSHRC Partnership Grants and Partnership Development Grants provide support for formal partnerships between post-secondary institutions and one or more partner organizations from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

A non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is often included as evidence of the intended partnership in the application material.

Unless otherwise agreed on, the project terms will govern the partnership if funded by SSHRC.

Please email us to request a copy of our template MOU for use in your application.

Term sheet

The term sheet template helps researchers confirm arrangements for a research project with their collaborators and partners.

These term sheets are non-binding and not intended to form a legal agreement. The signatures of the UVic principal investigator and collaborator confirm that the parties recommend the project as set out in the term sheet and will carry out the terms if the project is approved.
Please email us the term sheet once it is completed and signed.

term sheet template for industry

Need help?

For new inquires, email contract@uvic.ca

Research agreements team

Lana Bird, Senior Research Agreements Facilitator
Phone: 250-721-6095
Leah Syme, Research Agreements Facilitator
Phone: 250-721-8125
Rachel Corder, Research Agreements Facilitator
Sneh Yadav, Contracts Facilitator Assistant
Phone: 250-472-5670