Education Template
Free Research Collaboration Agreement Template
A research collaboration agreement defines the terms for joint academic research.
Template
Copy this markdown, replace the {{variables}}, and send via API.
# Research Collaboration Agreement
**Institution A:** {{institutionA}}
**Institution B:** {{institutionB}}
**Project:** {{projectTitle}}
**Date:** {{date}}
## Objectives
{{objectives}}
## Responsibilities
{{responsibilities}}
## IP Ownership
{{ipOwnership}}
## Funding
{{fundingTerms}}
## Publications
{{publicationRights}}
## Term
{{termLength}}Send for e-signature
curl -X POST https://signb.ee/api/send \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"content": "YOUR_RENDERED_MARKDOWN",
"senderName": "Your Name",
"senderEmail": "you@company.com",
"recipientName": "Recipient",
"recipientEmail": "recipient@email.com"
}'What happens next
- Signbee converts the markdown to a professional PDF
- Recipient gets an email with a signing link
- Both parties sign with an animated handwriting signature
- Both receive the signed PDF with a SHA-256 certificate
All signatures are legally binding under the ESIGN Act, eIDAS, and ECA.
More details
A research collaboration agreement governs joint research between academic institutions, research labs, or university-industry partnerships. Intellectual property rights, publication rights, and funding allocation make these agreements uniquely complex.
Why research collaboration agreements are essential: Without clear terms, disputes over patent ownership, publication authorship, and commercialisation rights can destroy collaborative relationships and delay research output by years.
Critical clauses: 1. Research scope — Precise description of the joint research project, objectives, and expected outputs. This defines the boundaries of the collaboration. 2. Responsibilities — Which institution provides which resources: personnel, lab space, equipment, data access, and administrative support. 3. Funding — Who funds what. How grant money is allocated. Overhead (indirect cost) rates for each institution. Financial reporting requirements. 4. IP ownership — The most contentious clause. Common models: joint ownership of jointly created IP, sole ownership by the inventing institution, or pre-agreed splits. Background IP (what each party brings) must be clearly distinguished from foreground IP (what the collaboration creates). 5. Commercialisation — Who has the right to commercialise research outputs? How are licensing revenues shared? Is there a first right of refusal for either party? 6. Publication rights — Academic researchers need to publish. Typical terms allow publication with 30-90 days advance notice to allow the other party to review for confidential information and file patent applications before publication. 7. Data sharing and access — How research data is shared between institutions, data security requirements, and who owns the underlying datasets. 8. Confidentiality — What information is confidential, how long confidentiality lasts, and exceptions for information that becomes publicly available. 9. Student involvement — If students participate, their IP rights, authorship eligibility, and supervision arrangements must be addressed.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns intellectual property from joint research?
It depends on the agreement. Common models include joint ownership, sole ownership by the inventing institution, or pre-agreed splits. The agreement must distinguish background IP (what each party brings) from foreground IP (what the collaboration creates). Without clear terms, IP disputes can delay research by years.
Can researchers publish results from collaborative research?
Typically yes, but with advance notice (30-90 days) to allow the other party to review for confidential information and file patent applications. Publication rights are essential for academic researchers and should be clearly protected in the agreement.
Can research collaboration agreements be signed electronically?
Yes. Research collaboration agreements are valid with electronic signatures under ESIGN (US), eIDAS (EU), and ECA (UK). E-signing is practical for multi-institution agreements where signatories may be in different countries.
Related resources
Send this template for signing — free, no credit card.