Industry Contracting Models

Information in regards to how intellectual property and publications are handled with Purdue’s various industry contracting models can be found below. Please note that the information below only applies to direct industry funding and not to prime Federal funds that may be flowed down to Purdue by an industry partner. If you have any questions or would like to know more, please reach out to spscontr@purdue.edu so that we can connect you with a Contract Analyst that can discuss in more detail.

Contracting and Intellectual Property Chart

July 2025

Purdue University is a leader among universities in flexibility for collaborations with industry sponsors. The chart below deta ils the intellectual property options available for industry-sponsored research projects at the University. We can also create custom solutions to fit a particular need. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please reach out to Sponsored Program Services Contracting at spscontr@purdue.edu.

Type of Agreement	Basic Research	Pre-Paid Commerical Use Non-Exclusive, Royalty Free (CNERF) License	Pre-Paid Exclusive License	Testing
IP Contemplated? IP Ownership?	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
IP Contemplated? IP Ownership?	Purdue	Purdue	Purdue	Sponsor owns project- generated data; there is no IP, only testingand data generation
IP Licensing	Upon payment of patent costs, sponsor receives a non-exclusive, royalty-free, interna l R&D license with the first option for a royalty-bearing exclusive license.	In exchange for an up-front, pre-pa id IP fee and payment of patent costs, sponsor receives a commercial use non-exclusive, royalty-free license (non-sublicenseable) with the first option for a royalty-bearing exclusive license.	In exchange for an up-front, pre-pa id IP fee and payment of patent costs, sponsor receives an exclusive license and right to sublicense. The exclusive license will initia lly be roya lty-free, but a royalty will apply once a set milestone is reached in accordance with the terms of the agreement.	N/A
Background IP (BIP) Contemplated? Publication with Review Rights?	Purdue and sponsor BIP contributions are possible. Licenses to Purdue BIP will be negotiated via a separate licensing agreement with the Office of Technology Commercia liza tion in the Purdue Research Foundation.	Purdue and sponsor BIP contributions are possible. Licenses to Purdue BIP will be negotiated via a separate licensing agreement with the Office of Technology Commercia liza tion in the Purdue Research Foundation.	Purdue and sponsor BIP contributions are possible. Licenses to Purdue BIP will be negotiated via a separate licensing agreement with the Office of Technology Commercialization in the Purdue Research Foundation.	No Purdue BIP. There may be sponsor BIP but it isn’t exploited to generate Project IP.
	30-day review only for confidential information and patent protection	30-day review only for confidential information and patent protection	30-day review only for confidential information and patent protection	Deliverable data is confidentia l and subject to approval; other materia l is publishable.

The intellectual property polices detailed in this document are current as of the date at the top of this document and are subject to change. Please connect with SPS Contracting prior to engaging in IP discussions with a company.

Industry Contracting Models

Contracting and Intellectual Property Chart

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