Intellectual Property
- To ensure that university intellectual property is protected and, when required, appropriately reported to sponsors, promptly disclose any potential inventions or other intellectual property to the Office of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development – Technology Commercialization.
- If you are involved in a startup company that has licensed technology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the company should notify the Office of Technology Commercialization of any proposed investments, partnerships, or sublicenses made with foreign entities, prior to commencing such transaction.
- Researchers must take reasonable efforts to protect the University’s interest (and, in the case of federally-sponsored research, the federal government’s interest) in intellectual property developed in the course of their UNC research. Intellectual property developed under a sponsored research agreement is subject to the University’s Patent and Invention Policy.
- UNC researchers may not enter into informal or unofficial agreements to restrict publication or sharing of research results. University policy prohibits acceptance of publication restrictions in research, except in the case of unusual exceptions which can only be negotiated by University officials who have delegated authority to accept contracts and grants.
- Most information developed under sponsored research programs can be openly disclosed and shared without sponsor approval. However, some sponsors (including some federal sponsors) require sponsor approval before the information may be disclosed to anyone outside of the research team. If you do not know whether your information can be openly disclosed, contact OSP or exportcontrol@unc.edu.