Intellectual Property and Sponsored Research MIT’s Intellectual Property policy is designed to ensure that innovations are made available to industry and society for the public benefit, while recognizing the investigators and supporting the open dissemination of research. MIT’s Intellectual Property Policy may be viewed here. How does MIT source externally sponsored research contracts? MIT provides individual labs and principal investigators (PIs) with latitude to find and enter “sponsored research” contracts that are best suited to their work. This “research freedom” is a professional norm for faculty across American universities. We cultivate an inclusive environment of scientific and entrepreneurial excellence and bridge connections from MIT’s research community to industry and startups by strategically evaluating, protecting, and licensing technology. Intellectual Property, Inventions, Licenses For invention disclosures, IP agreements for visiting scientists, and licenses, contact MIT's Technology Licensing Office. Many corporate sponsors share proprietary or confidential information, data and materials, and the MIT research team has a responsibility to use or maintain that information in accordance with the terms of the research agreement, including keeping it confidential for up to five years following receipt. Customized Industry Research Agreements MIT's intellectual property policy ensures that individual investigators receive appropriate recognition for intellectual property they generated at MIT, while encouraging them to promptly make inventions arising from their research available to industry and others through licensing for the public benefit. The negotiation of research agreements with industrial sponsors is complex. These negotiations often include a greater emphasis on intellectual property rights and the adapation of agreements to the particular needs of individual programs. It is the policy of MIT that individuals through their employment by MIT, by participating in an MIT-administered or sponsored research project, or by otherwise using MIT-administered funds or facilities, thereby accept the principles of ownership of intellectual property as dictated by MIT Policies and Procedures (section 13.1). In certain sponsored research agreements, MIT may agree to delay a publication for a short time in order for a sponsor to review in advance, solely to confirm that sponsor’s confidential information was not inadvertently included (if sponsor provided any confidential information to MIT as part of the sponsored research), or to file a patent. The Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement (IPIA) form transfers ownership of intellectual property to MIT as determined by MIT Policy and must be signed by all persons participating in research and other opportunities at MIT. The Inventions and Proprietary Information Agreement (IPIA) is a contract between an individual and MIT that transfers ownership of certain intellectual property. With limited exception, every employee (including temporary employees), faculty, graduate student, postdoctoral associate, fellow, visitor, research affiliate, and staff affiliate (where appropriate) must sign the IPIA.