The following resources provide an overview of intellectual property (IP) policies and related documents in the sphere of universities and public research institutions (PRIs).They can be of use to:

  • policy makers in developing national policies on technology transfer and knowledge-sharing for development;
  • senior university managers in developing internal institutional IP policies tailored to their individual needs; and
  • the university community in general (professors, students, researchers, etc), to increase understanding of the rights to IP that may result from educational and research activities.

WIPO resources

WIPO resources on universities and PRIs can be accessed through our publications database.

Topic Title Source Author(s) Year of Publication
General Policy Recommendations Creating and nurturing innovation ecosystems for high-tech industries - principles for policy-makers International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ICC Commission on Intellectual Property 2017
General Policy Recommendations National Intellectual Property Systems, Innovation and Economic Development. With Perspectives on Colombia and Indonesia Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Paunov, Caroline 2014
IP Management and Technology Transfer Practical Guide to Key Issues in Managing Technology Transfer Agreements PraxisUnico   2006
IP Management and Technology Transfer Practical Guides to: Options, Licence Agreements, General Legal Issues in University Contracts, Confidentiality Agreements,and Material Transfer Agreements PraxisUnico   2014
IP Management and Technology Transfer Getting to grips with intellectual property
Notes for researchers and research managers		 Research Africa   2013
IP Management and Technology Transfer Your Guide to IP Commercialization European IPR Helpdesk   2016
Collaboration Australia IP Toolkit and Source IP Australian Government- IP Australia  IP Australia 2015
Collaboration Practical Guide to Consultancy PraxisUnico   2004
Collaboration

Turning Science into Business .Patenting and Licensing at Public Research Organisations

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

 OECD Secretariat (Cervantes, Mario; Callan, Benedicte) 2003
Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Practical Guide to Consultancy PraxisUnico   2004
Open Movement Fact Sheet, Intellectual Property Management in Open Innovation European IPR Helpdesk   2015
Students and IP Practical Guide to Students and IP PraxisUnico   2006
General Policy Recommendations Creating and nurturing innovation ecosystems for high-tech industries - principles for policy-makers International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) ICC Commission on Intellectual Property 2017
General Policy Recommendations Perspective of Industry’s Engagement with African Universities African Association of Universities (AAU) Sá, Creso 2015
General Policy Recommendations The Dynamics of Global Technology and Knowledge Flows International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Brant, Jennifer
Parthasarathy, Balaji		 2015
General Policy Recommendations The European Union explained: Research and Innovation. European Union European Commission 2014
General Policy Recommendations Transfer of Technology and Knowledge Sharing for Development. Science, Technology and Innovation Issues for Developing Countries United Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) González Sanz, Angel
Calovski, Dimo
Razo, Carlos		 2014
General Policy Recommendations Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Global Practice. Public Policies to Foster Knowledge Transfer from Public Research Organizations The World Bank Correa, Paulo
Zuñiga, Pluvia		 2013
General Policy Recommendations Intellectual Property Commercialization. Policy Options and Practical Instruments United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) UNECE Scretariat 2011
General Policy Recommendations A Comparative Analysis of Institutional Innovation and IP Policies, Strategies and Practices. Results of the Micro-Level Analysis of the IP Unilink project IP Unilink Consortium Scheinberg, Sari
Norgren, Andreas Käll, Jannice		 2009
General Policy Recommendations Enhancing the Innovative Performance of Firms. Policy Options and Practical Instruments United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) UNECE Scretariat 2009
General Policy Recommendations, General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies, General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies, IP Management and Technology Transfer Commission Recommendation on the Management of Intellectual Property in Knowledge Transfer Activities (with a Code of Practice for Universities and Other Public Research Organisations and Guidance for Implementation) (often also referred to as “IP Charta”) European Union European Commission 2008
General Policy Recommendations, Policy recommendations on openness, General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies Improving Knowledge Transfer Between Research Institutions and Industry Across Europe: Embracing Open Innovation. European Union European Commission 2007
General Policy Recommendations Knowledge Transfer Study 2010-2012 European Union European Commission (Arundel, Anthongy Es-Sadki, Nordine Barjak, Franz Perrett, Pieter Samuel, Olga Lilischkis, Stefan) 2013
General Policy Recommendations Expert Group Report. Management of Intellectual Property in Publicly-Funded Rresearch Organisations: Towards European Guidelines European Union European Commission 2004
Policy recommendations on openness Making Open Science a Reality Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) OECD Secretariat, Innovation and
Technology Policy (TIP) Steering Group on Open Science		 2015
Policy recommendations on openness Open Access to Research Publications: Looking Ahead. An Overview of Policy Developments and Positions from a European University Perspective European University Association (EUA) Lourenço, Joana Borrell-Damian, Lidia 2014
Policy recommendations on openness Policy Guidelines for the Development and Promotion of Open Access United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Swan, Alma 2012
General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies Intellectual Asset Management for Universities Intellectual Property Office of the United Kingdom, AURIL, BIS, HEFCE, PraxisUnico, Research Councils UK, UUK Clare, Phil Day, Adrian Dinham, Rowena Foord, Davina Graham, Philip Houlihan, Jim Lewis, Karen
McCaul, Brian Shah, Daniel		 2014
General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies A Guide to Managing Intellectual Property. Strategic Decision-Making in Universities Association for University Research and Industry Links (AURIL)

Universities UK		   2002
General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies Governance: Policy on Policy Development Australian Catholic University (ACU)   2013
General guidelines for drafting institutional IP Policies Policy Development Procedure Australian Catholic University (ACU)   2013
Guidelines for drafting IP Policies related to health and agriculture innovation Guía para el desarrollo de políticas institucionales de propiedad intelectual para universidades y centros de investigación (Spanish only) Public Intellectual Property Resources for the Agriculture (PIPRA), Fundación
para la Innovación Agraria (FIA)		 Carolina Sepúlveda V.
Nancy Pérez O.
Daniça Mardesic S.		 2012
Guidelines for drafting IP Policies related to health and agriculture innovation, IP Management and Technology Transfer Intellectual Property Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook of Best Practices MIHR, PIPRA, FIOCRUZ, bioDevelopments-International Institute   2007
IP Management and Technology Transfer Handbook of Intellectual Property Management Association for University Research and Industry Links (AURIL)    
IP Management and Technology Transfer Technology Transfer Practice Manual, 3rd Edition Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)   2013
IP Management and Technology Transfer Intellectual Property Cross-border Colllaboration Between Publicly Funded Research Organisations and Industry and Technology Transfer Training European Union European Union Scientific and Technical Research Committee (CREST) 2006
IP Management and Technology Transfer IP Guidelines Ryerson University (Canada)   2006
IP Management and Technology Transfer Gestión de Propiedad Intelectual e Industrial en Instituciones de Educación Superior. Buenas Prácticas en Universidades de Latinoamérica y Europa. (Spanish only) Red de Propiedad Intelectual e Industrial en Latinoamérica (PILA)

EuropeAid		 Proyecto PILA 2009
IP Management and Technology Transfer Researcher Guidebook. A Guide for Successful Institutional-Industrial Collaborations University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), Georgia Tech Research UIDP Researcher Guidebook Working Group 2012
IP Management and Technology Transfer KTI Practical Guide to Managing Intellectual Property and Confidentiality Knowledge Transfer Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Irish Universities Association (IUA)    
Collaboration AUTM. Sample Agreements Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)    
Collaboration The Lambert Toolkit Intellectual Property Office, UK   2014
Collaboration IP Handbook. Sample Agreements MIHR, PIPRA, FIOCRUZ, bioDevelopments-International Institute    
Collaboration European Research Area Guidelines
on Intellectual Property (IP) Management in International Research Collaboration
Agreements between European and Non-
European Partners		 European Union Knowledge Transfer Working Group of the
European Research Area Committee (ERAC)		 2012
Collaboration KTI Practical Guide to Model Collaborative Agreements Knowledge Transfer Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Irish Universities Association (IUA)    
Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Chapter No. 5.7: Conflict of Interest and Conflict of Commitment Management in Technology Transfer MIHR, PIPRA, FIOCRUZ, bioDevelopments-International Institute Bennett, Alan B. 2007
Establishing and managing KMUs Chapter No. 6: Establishing and Operating Technology Transfer Offices MIHR, PIPRA, FIOCRUZ, bioDevelopments-International Institute   2007
Incentives A Guide to Managing Intellectual Property. Strategic Decision-Making in Universities, Chapter 4: Incentives Association for University Research and Industry Links (AURIL), Universities UK   2002
Innovation disclosure Innovation Disclosure Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Heller, Page 2009
Open Movement Quick Guide on Complying with Open Access Policies Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)   2016
Open Movement Concepts of Openness and Open Access United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)   2015
Open Movement Guide on Open Educational Resources (OERs) Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)   2014
Open Movement Good practices for university open-access policies Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Open Access Project (HOAP) Suber, Peter Shieber, Stuart 2016
Open Movement How to Make Your Own Work Open Access Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Harvard Open Access Project (HOAP) Suber, Peter 2012
Open Movement Guidance and Information for Authors Wishing to Find Out About Open Access Archiving SHERPA Partnership    
Ownership of university research Working Guidelines. Q244. Inventorship of Multinational Inventions Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI) Matheson, Sarah
Osha, John Verschuur, Anne Marie
Inui, Yusuke Laakkonen, Ari Nack, Ralph		 2015
Ownership of university research Individual Versus Institutional Ownership of University-Discovered Inventions. Discussion Paper No. 15-007 Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Czarnitzki, Dirk Doherr, Thorsten Hussinger, Katrin
Schliessler, Paula Toole, Andrew A.		 2015
Ownership of university research Fact Sheet. IP joint ownership European IPR Helpdesk   2015
Ownership of university research Intellectual Property Ownership Model in Academia: An Analysis Journal of Intellectual Property Rights (JIPR) vol. 19 Ramli, Nasiibah Zainol, Zinatul A. 2014
Ownership of university research Fact Sheet. Inventorship, Authorship and Ownership European IPR Helpdesk   2013
Ownership of university research University Entrepreneurship and Professor Privilege. NBER Working Paper No. 17980 National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Farnstrand Damsgaard, Erica Thursby, Marie C. 2012
Ownership of university research Does inventor ownership encourage university research-derived entrepreneurship? A six university comparison. Research Policy. Vol. 40, Issue 8 Kenney, Martin Patton, Donald 2011
Ownership of university research Resolution. Question Q194BA. The impact of co-ownership of Intellectual Property Rights on their exploitation Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI)   2009
Ownership of university research Chapter No. 5.4, Ownership of University Inventions: Practical Considerations MIHR, PIPRA, FIOCRUZ, bioDevelopments-International Institute Weidemier, B. Jean 2007
Ownership of university research Chapter 5. Regulatory Framework Regarding Ownership of Inventions Conceived at Universities. Internationalisation of R&D Elsevier Janssens, Marie-Christine 2005
Students and IP Managing Student Intellectual Property Issues at Institutions of Higher Education: An AUTM Primer Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Barrow, Abigail Batchelor, La Royce Brger, Alex Duval-Couetil, Nathalie Scott, Latanya Skinner, Jeffrey Speser, Phyl Weilerstein, Phil 2014
Students and IP Intellectual Property Issues Arising From Business Ideas Generated By Undergraduate Students Southern Law Journal, No. 250, Vol. XXIII Little, Andrew Reid, Brad Litton, James 2013
Copyright Fair Use Best Practices for Higher Education Institutions: The Israeli Experience Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A., Forthcoming Elkin-Koren, Niva Fischman Afori, Orit Haramati-Alpern, Ronit Dotan, Amira  2010

The below links take you to other organizations active in international or regional transfer of technology and institutional IP policy-related activities. WIPO does not necessarily endorse the content of the websites.