Overview and FAQs

Here’s what you can expect.

1. Contact us to discuss how you might help an industry partner through a research collaboration agreement (e.g. R&D) or service agreement (e.g. running tests).
   
   
2. Our team will work through its network of industry contacts to identify potential partnerships — we’re always meeting with industry to raise awareness of Dalhousie’s research strengths and capabilities. In some cases, you might have potential partners in mind already. Connecting your research interests with industry partners can be a time-consuming process, but we do our best to find a match. However, in some cases identifying a suitable industry partner may not be possible.
   
   
3. We’ll share information on potential funding sources that support industry partnership, such as Dal’s Science and Technology Assistance Program (supported by NRC’s IRAP funding), or the NSBI Innovation Voucher Award and others.
   
   
4. Should a potential partnership arise, our team will facilitate a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) if needed. This will cover confidentiality concerns for all parties so the scope of work can be discussed in appropriate detail. The nature of the collaboration will be assessed to determine if the formal agreement is best supported by a research collaboration agreement or a service agreement.
   
   
5. The process to formalize the appropriate agreement begins. You’ll be expected to provide information and input throughout (e.g., budget and statement of work). You’ll also have the opportunity to completely review any documents before anything is signed. 

Here’s what you can expect.

1. Contact us to let us know about a potential research collaboration agreement (e.g. R&D) or service agreement (e.g. running tests). Our team facilitates all formal agreements between researchers and industry partners at the university. We can also simply offer advice to support any conversations with industry that you may be having. 
   
   
2. We’ll share information on funding sources that support industry partnership, such as Dal’s Science and Technology Assistance Program (supported by NRC’s IRAP funding), or the NSBI Innovation Voucher Award Program and others.
   
   
3. As discussions between the prospective industry partner and researcher progress, we’ll facilitate a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) if needed, so the scope of work can be discussed with in appropriate detail. The nature of the collaboration will be assessed to determine if the formal agreement is best supported by a research collaboration agreement or a service agreement.
   
   
4. The process to formalize the appropriate agreement begins. You’ll be expected to provide information and input throughout. You’ll also have the ability to completely review any documents before anything is signed. 

1. Review our Information for Start-ups section here.
   
   
2. Contact us to discuss your options in detail.

Dalhousie has a creator-owned IP practice*, which means the researcher/inventor is usually the owner of that IP. Should the IP have good potential for patentability and commercialization, researchers can then choose to either:

1. Disclose their invention [PDF 174 KB] and then assign the IP to the university for OCIE to manage using the Intellectual Property Transfer Agreement (IPTA) [PDF 202 KB]. Learn more about the IPTA here.
   
   
2. Remain sole owner of the IP

When researchers assign IP to the university OCIE will assess the invention/technology for commercial value and, if suitable, file an application for a patent. Then our team works to identify potential licensing partners who can commercialize the invention.

If successful, OCIE facilitates the development of a formal license agreement between the university and the industry partner. Researchers remain closely involved throughout OCIE’s management of the invention. All fees associated with the patent and technology transfer process will be covered by the OCIE’s patent legal fund.

When researchers maintain full rights to the IP, OCIE can provide some informal advice but the researcher is ultimately responsible for assessing the commercial potential of their invention, managing any possible IP Protection and license agreements, and covering all associated costs.

Patenting, licensing and commercializing inventions is a comprehensive and time-consuming endeavour. When researchers assign IP to Dal for commercialization purposes, OCIE is ultimately responsible for seeing that process through. This relieves inventors of the heavy administrative and financial pressures associated with technology transfer and commercialization. Our team has considerable experience and expertise in the commercialization process, IP, and industry partnerships that can add significant value to the process.

OCIE manages all of the IP assigned to the university in close consultation with the researcher(s).

The university’s creator-owned IP practice has informed the development of an official Dal IP policy by the Intellectual Property Office where training and additional support can be found.

Absolutely. In fact, researchers play an important role in our management of the invention. As the subject matter experts, researchers know the invention better than anyone and can provide essential insight to the commercialization team. Researchers also help to identify potential markets and suitable licensing partners for technology transfer and commercialization. OCIE is ultimately responsible for decision-making about the invention, but we work to ensure that inventors are informing those decisions. 

OCIE will proceed with the termination of the Intellectual Property Transfer Agreement (IPTA) in accordance with the appropriate termination conditions.

The Invention Disclosure Form [PDF 174 KB] can be found here. Complete this form and send it to ocie@dal.ca. A member of our team will review your submission and follow-up accordingly.

Please note: Our goal is to ensure Dalhousie researchers are well-informed about their options. If you want to meet with a member of our team before proceeding, please contact us. We’re happy to meet with you at any time.

Assuming you're using an appropriate patent agent, filing a patent application can cost between $10,000-20,000 depending on the country in which the patent will operate. After filing, the patent prosecution stage can cost $30,000 and up. Once a patent is obtained, there will be annual fees associated with keeping that patent active. Obtaining a patent can typically take 3-4 years or longer, and it will be effective from the date that the application was first filed for up to 20 years.

This is a common scenario because of the collaborative nature of academic research. There can be more than one inventor, and students can be inventors too. It’s up to the research group to establish IP ownership*.

Our team can best support your commercialization goals if the inventors of the technology are clearly established before we begin working together. 

* It should be noted that authorship and IP ownership are not interchangeable concepts. IP ownership is a legal definition, whereas authorship means attribution. If you'd like to know more about this, please contact us. We're happy to help. 

Please note: A student's IP should be finalized before they join your lab so that the ownership of future IP generated by students is understood by all in your lab. That way, when a commercialization opportunity arises, research groups are well-equipped to answer inventorship and ownership questions.

Please note: In the case of a collaboration opportunity that may lead to an invention with researchers from another university or institution, Dalhousie and the other research institution will enter into an Inter-Institutional Agreement so the IP ownership is understood by all involved before the collaboration begins.

Any public disclosure of your invention before a patent application is submitted can limit or damage the patent protection of your invention. That’s why it’s important to reach out to OCIE as early as possible to discuss your invention, options, and any upcoming plans you have to publish, present, or otherwise publicly communicate details about the work in question.

You’ll also need to consider any non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that have already been arranged in relation to your invention. 

As per the Intellectual Property Transfer Agreement, revenue from Dal-assigned inventions first goes to recoup the direct costs related to patent and legal fees invested to support the successful commercialization.

Once those direct costs are covered, revenue is split 50/50 between the inventors(s) and Dalhousie University. The university puts its half back into OCIE’s patent and legal fund — an evergreen fund that covers patent and legal expenses for all Dal-assigned inventions to continuously support tech transfer and commercialization efforts within our research community.  

A licensing partner(s) is a company who has obtained rights to a Dal-invented technology under agreed-upon “fields of use” through a licensing agreement. Learn more about license agreements here.

Each Dalhousie invention will have its own commercialization strategy that includes several potential partners that will be engaged. Industry engagement is a core component of OCIE’s mandate, so we have a broad network of industry contacts to work with and we target our marketing of Dalhousie inventions to companies accordingly.

In some cases, it's helpful if the inventor has their own industry contact or ideas around companies with partnership potential. 

If there are no commercialization prospects and all best efforts have been exhausted after an appropriate period of time, the IP will be returned to the inventor and OCIE will absorb all related commercialization, patent, and legal expenses incurred to date. 

Contact us and we can help. Research and service agreements support partnerships between Dalhousie researchers and companies seeking a university research team’s skill and expertise. 

Mitacs is research and innovation platform that links post-secondary institutions with industry. Opportunities such as the Mitacs Accelerate program match student researchers with companies and fund their research activity together. Learn more about Mitacs programming.