Industry-Government-Academia Collaboration

This is a program in which the university and corporations, conduct joint research sharing issues on equal footing. Outstanding research results can be anticipated. It is implemented in the following two formats depending on the research site.

Joint research at the university (format 1: “integrated” type)

The university accepts researchers and direct expenses from corporations (corporations may also bring in their own research facilities or equipment) and research in shared issues is conducted jointly by university faculty and researchers from corporations.

Joint research by the university and private sector corporations, etc. (format 2: “assignment” type)

The university accepts researchers and direct expenses (corporations may also bring in their own research facilities or equipment) or, alternatively, direct expenses only and research is conducted in shared issues assigned to the university and to corporations, etc. These are divided further into the following two types depending on the liability for expenses.

Category	Format	Joint researcher research fee	Direct expenses
Those involving the acceptance of researchers and direct expenses or, alternatively, direct expenses only from corporations, etc.	１	◯	◯
	2	◯ or ×	◯
Those involving the acceptance of researchers only from corporations, etc.	1	◯	×

Note 1: ○: liable, x: not liable

Note 2: Joint researcher research fee: There is a charge of ¥420,000 per researcher if dispatched to the university (FY2007)

Note 3: Direct expenses: Direct expenses for especially required gratuities, travel expenses, expendable supply expenses, equipment purchase expenses and management expenses (utilities, etc.) for the implementation of joint research

Flow of the procedure

If the total amount of research expenses has been finalized, it is possible to establish a research contract that covers multiple years.

Attribution of rights, etc., of patents, etc.

●They are normally shared by the university and the partner corporation, etc..

However, any unique inventions created by the university or partner corporation, etc., remain the sole property of the inventing party.

●In the case of joint patents, the partner corporation, etc., selects the acquisition of exclusive negotiating rights at the time of patent application.

Exclusive negotiating rights refer to rights that enable selection of exclusive or nonexclusive execution of the relevant patent for a period of three years from the application date.  During that time, the university may not engage in negotiations involving the relevant patent with any other company.

1. If exclusive negotiation rights are acquired:

The research partner bears all costs including application fees.

i) If exclusive license is selected:

Jointly-owned patent can be used exclusively by the research partner. However, upon selection of this option, the partner is required to enter into a license agreement and pay the license fee in whole or in part.

ii) If non-exclusive license is selected:

The usage of the jointly-owned patent will be non-exclusive, and the research partner is not required to pay the license fee. However, the university has the right to independently license a third party to use the patent.

2. If exclusive negotiation rights are not acquired

Application fees and other costs will be born according to each party’s share of the patent.

However, upon patent licensing, the research partner is required to pay the license fee.

●After due consultation, the university and the research partner may license a third party to use the patent, with the exception of 1 (ii) above.

License fees obtained from a third party will be distributed to the university and the research partner according to their respective share of the patent.

Flowchart for the handling of intellection property rights in joint research contracts

Conditions of acceptance

Year	Amount received（1,000yen）	No. received
1999	57,250	24
2000	80,238	26
2001	94,245	37
2002	176,876	58
2003	194,667	70
2004	186,120	112
2005	214,549	126
2006	249,309	138