All research contracts are negotiated through Research Services to ensure researchers meet all requirements for the signing of these agreements.
Research contracts exist to:
- set out the rights and obligations of all parties involved in the research project;
- detail ECU’s requirements under the contract, including reporting and payment requirements;
- detail the risk and insurance coverage; and
- protect researchers’ use of project material under publication or intellectual property.
Research Services role
Our role in research contracts is to:
- review (or prepare or arrange preparation of) agreements on an overall basis and to assist with other reviews of the agreement;
- coordinate reviews of the agreement by other ECU parties where necessary such as the ECU Chief Investigator, Legal and Integrity, Risk and Audit Assurance Services, or Finance and Business Services;
- organise signing of Staff/Student Intellectual Property Deeds to ensure all intellectual property requirements in the agreement are managed;
- negotiate with external parties for changes to the agreement;
- collate agreed changes from internal and external parties into agreements;
- arrange for external parties to sign agreements;
- arrange for ECU to sign the agreement according to signatory delegations policy;
- record executed agreement; and
- ensure that all parties to the agreement have a copy for their reference.
We can assist with the following types of research contracts:
- Letter of Agreement;
- Research Contracts;
- Grant Agreements;
- ECU Industry Collaboration research contracts;
- Intellectual Property Assignment Deeds for staff and students;
- Confidentiality Deeds of Agreement for research; and
- Material Transfer Agreements
ECU Chief Investigator’s reviews
These reviews of the Agreement include ensuring that the following arrangements will be acceptable:
- publishing ability for the findings from the research project;
- Intellectual Property ownership and/or licensing arrangements are acceptable and reflect possible future uses of the project material, including for education, publication, further research, or commercialisation; and
- the contract reflects the requirements to be completed in the project :
- Reporting/deliverables/milestone requirements and timing
- Start and end date of the project as reflected in the contract term
- Income and expenses for the project and the timing
- In-kind contribution to be provided by ECU and other parties
- Additional obligations and responsibilities of the CI and the other parties
Tenders
As many tenders now include sign-off on the terms and conditions of the contract when the tender is submitted, the contract must be reviewed during the development phase of the tender response.
Please contact your Research Administration Officer with the call for tender documents as soon as you decide to tender for a piece of work.
Contact
Research Contracts Adviser
Sanita Kratina
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 3569
Email: research-grants@ecu.edu.au
Research Contracts and Funding Coordinators
Dawn Pumfrey
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 5783
Email: research-grants@ecu.edu.au
Meredith Gidley
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 5450
Email: research-grants@ecu.edu.au
Anita Anderson
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 5451
Email: research-grants@ecu.edu.au
Sallyann Webster
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 2077
Email: research-grants@ecu.edu.au
Research Grants Records Officer
Betty Maass
Telephone: (61 8) 6304 5818
Email: research-grants@ecu.edu.au