When a sponsor wishes to engage a University researcher in a project, the agreement for the project will be between the sponsor and the University. In the same way that any employee performs work on behalf of a company to satisfy clients of a company, the researcher (employee) works on behalf of the University to perform the work required under the agreement.
Does my company sign an agreement directly with the researcher? If so, is the researcher a party to the agreement? Does the researcher sign an agreement with the University so that my company has assurances that the researcher will perform the research? Can the sponsor use the University, principal investigator or any other student or employee’s name or trademark? How does the University make sure that it can comply with its contractual obligations to the company regarding ownership and licensing of intellectual property?