PraxisUnico welcomes the Government’s supportive response to the recommendations of Sir Andrew Witty’s Review of Universities and Growth. We are particularly pleased that the Government acknowledges the great contribution made to innovation and economic growth over many years by UK universities, and we look forward to working with our partners to do even more.
PraxisUnico is pleased to have the opportunity to inform this review on behalf of our members. We look forward to making further contributions at the intermediaries workshop scheduled for 26th March at the Royal Academy of Engineering.
This Practical Guide will provide a brief, practical overview of some legal issues that are commonly encountered when drafting and negotiating university contracts. Some of these issues concern the basic framework of contract law, which underpins university contracts and makes them legally effective (or not). For example, has “consideration” passed from both parties to the contract? Has the right person signed the contract? Does the contract need to be in any particular format?
This UNICO Practical Guide covers a selection of topics that are relevant to the management of technology transfer (TT) agreements and relationships. These range from the initial ‘due diligence’ that is done prior to the decision to engage in TT activities, through to the monitoring of a licensee’s performance under, and the termination of, the TT agreement. These are ‘generic’ issues, common to many types of contracts that universities encounter. For a detailed discussion of particular types of agreement, please refer to other Practical Guides in the series.