Your supervisor has indicated you are required to sign an agreement assigning your intellectual property rights to the University or a relevant third party prior to starting your research project (and if you have been awarded a scholarship, IP must be assigned before stipend payments can be made).
This is because your project:
• is subject to an agreement or activity involving the University and a third party e.g. industry placement or externally funded scholarship or research activity, or where confidentiality of the project is required;
• has, or is likely to have, clear potential for commercial exploitation;
• is likely to result in IP which is jointly created by your supervisor or other University staff or academic status holders;
• builds upon pre-existing University-owned IP; and/ or
• involves the creation of teaching materials for future use by the University
By now:
• Your supervisor will have discussed this matter with you. If this has not occurred, please contact your supervisor immediately.
• You will have read the University’s Intellectual Property Policy and Student Research IP Procedures.
Next steps:
• Review the Office of Graduate Research Intellectual Property assignment information.
• Consider accessing free legal advice through Flinders University Student Association (FUSA), UniSA Legal Advice Clinic, University of Adelaide Law School Free Legal Clinics, or you can contact the Law Society of South Australia for a listing of South Australian lawyers and law firms. Neither the University nor your supervisor can provide advice to you about your rights regarding assignment.
• Your supervisor will submit a request for student IP Assignment, and a deed will be prepared and emailed to you with further instructions. You are not obliged to enter into such a written agreement before you have been given a reasonable period to review, seek external advice and discuss such agreements. This is normally at least two weeks.
If you have any questions about this matter, please submit an AskFlinders request www.flinders.edu.au/hdr/ask.