Template Description

The Research Collaboration Agreement Template is a professionally structured legal document created to define the terms, scope, rights, and responsibilities between two or more institutions, universities, research organisations, or corporate entities engaging in a joint research project. Designed by Indian and international legal standards, this 6-page MS Word agreement is tailored for collaborations in science, technology, pharmaceuticals, academic research, and interdisciplinary innovation efforts.

Understanding the Research Collaboration Agreement Template

This agreement governs the working relationship between collaborating entities (e.g., academic institutions, R&D departments, or private research labs) and defines how responsibilities, costs, intellectual property (IP), and results are to be managed. It ensures that each party’s contributions, intellectual, financial, and infrastructural, are documented, protected, and attributed fairly. The agreement mitigates disputes, enforces confidentiality, and protects the outcomes of shared innovation.

Key Features of the Template

• Legally Compliant Format: Crafted under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and aligned with international academic collaboration norms, including clauses on IP ownership, funding use, warranties, publication rights, and data sharing protocols.
• Defined Research Scope: Clearly outlines the subject of research, methodology, and areas of collaboration, including joint development, shared infrastructure, personnel, and experimental tools.
• Roles & Responsibilities Section: Each party’s role is defined, such as Party A providing infrastructure and Party B contributing funding, proprietary tools, or datasets, ensuring clarity on deliverables and expectations.
• Funding & Budget Framework: Includes breakdown of total budget, contribution by each party, external grants or sponsor funds, and rules for managing utilisation and reporting.
• Comprehensive IP Ownership Terms: Details handling of pre-existing IP, jointly developed inventions, and sole developments. Includes rules for disclosure, patent filing, commercial licensing, and future usage rights.
• Confidentiality Clause: Protects sensitive data and findings with provisions for non-disclosure, employee-bound confidentiality, and post-agreement survival (usually for 3 years).
• Publication & Public Disclosure Rights: Sets rules for scientific publishing, author attribution, approval timelines, and IP protection before public dissemination. Helps balance openness with proprietary safeguards.
• Material and Data Sharing Norms: Includes data governance standards, reference to Material Transfer Agreements (MTA), and legal obligations when transferring chemicals, biological samples, or sensitive data.
• Termination Clauses with Flexibility: Allows for both cause-based and convenience-based termination. Post-termination effects, such as returning confidential info and deciding on partial results, are outlined.
• Dispute Resolution via Arbitration: Follows a structured three-tier dispute resolution process including mutual resolution, arbitration (under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996), and jurisdictional assignment.

Conclusion

The Research Collaboration Agreement Template offers a reliable, editable, and fully legal framework to protect the interests of all parties involved in joint scientific and academic research. It addresses critical elements such as IP, data confidentiality, funding, and liability while enabling productive cooperation. With structured, flexible terms, this agreement helps streamline interdisciplinary projects and manage research partnerships with clarity and legal certainty.