Collaboration Agreements

Collaborations between Stanford faculty and company researchers allow scientists with common interests to pursue common research objectives. Collaboration Agreements are used when each party performs research essential to the project. Each party to the agreement funds its own costs.

ICO’s industry Collaboration Agreement addresses:

• The research obligations of each party.
• Disclosure of confidential information, if any.
• Ownership of inventions based on inventorship. No licenses or license options are offered to the other party.
• Authorship of publications based on academic standards.

Stanford faculty who want to collaborate with a company are asked to fill out an ICO Intake Form, providing information about the project and participants.

For a template Collaboration Agreement, please contact ico@stanford.edu. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between Collaborations and Sponsored Research?

Researchers and their collaborators should be aware of two key differences between Collaborations and Sponsored Research: First, both parties to the collaboration are performing research essential to the project, as described in a statement of work. Second, since no funding is provided by the collaborator, the Stanford researcher must fund these activities by other means, such as gifts or other available funds.

2. What is the difference between Collaborations and Material Transfers?

Researchers and their collaborators should be aware of two key differences between Collaborations and Material Transfers: First, in a Collaboration, both parties to the collaboration are performing research essential to the project, as described in a statement of work. In a Material Transfer agreement, the provider transfers to the recipient materials for the recipient's research. Second, in material transfers, one party may grant to the other party licenses or options to inventions. In Collaborations, no licenses or options to inventions are granted by one party to the other.