The Intellectual Property (IP) Policy is intended as a guide for the employees and students of COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI). The policy is instituted to secure and protect IP, which results from the research activities of faculty, staff and students.

A- PURPOSE

The purpose of IP Policy is to:

1. Provide necessary security, protection and incentivization of the discovery and development of invention or innovation through knowledge generation, its transfer for the public good and contribution to the economy.
2. Generate revenue for the Institute and financial rewards to the inventor/innovator.

• Promote freedom of the Institute to produce IP.

1. Enhance competitive advantage of the Institute among peer institutions of the world.

B- OWNERSHIP

The Institute shall be the owner of all inventions/innovations or any other copyrightable work produced by the employees through the Institute’s Fund and/or using the following conditions:

1. If the invention/innovation is made by the employee through the Institute’s fund (Patent Filing Fee, research support or by using any of the Institute’s infrastructure and/or support,) the Institute shall be owner of the IP of the work and all royalties/grants shall accrue to the Institute.
2. If the research leading to the creation of an IP was funded through a grant or from a funding body, public or private, the terms of the grant as mutually agreed between the funding body and the Institute, shall determine the ownership of IP generated through the funding.
3. If the Institute’s resources are used and the funding is generated from any external source, the Institute shall be the owner of any IP thus generated.
4. If a researcher has come up with an invention/innovation as part of his/her employment obligations, the Institute shall retain exclusive rights to the IP thus generated, even if Institute’s resources or funds have not been used.
5. In case an IP is generated which is not in the research interest of the Institute, the Dean of Research Innovation & Commercialization may use his discretionary authorization to grant freedom of filing of IP by the inventor.
6. If a student’s thesis/dissertation contains patentable research leading to IP, the Institute shall be the owner of such IP.

C- COMMERCIALIZATION

The Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC), shall be responsible for evaluating, securing and commercializing the Institute’s IP and shall administer all relevant Institutional policies for its commercialization.

1. The Institute may determine means to protect the IP for the purpose of commercialization of such innovation/invention.
2. The institute shall inform the inventor/innovator prior to filing for patent. However, in such eventuality the inventor/innovator shall fulfill all criteria and present all the data as and when required. The Institute on it sole discretion is entitled to approach, negotiate, and enter into any agreement with any external party regarding commercialization of the invention/innovation.

D- IP DISCLOSURE INFORMATION

The following information shall invariably accompany the disclosure documentation by the inventor/innovator while submitting it to ORIC:

1. A statement to the best of the knowledge of the inventor/innovator that the invention/innovation has been made by the said inventor/innovator and not by anyone else.
2. Any other IP already in place intended to be used as a reference to practice the invention.

E- REVENUE FROM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The revenue accrued from the commercialization of the IP owned by the Institute shall be shared between the inventor/innovator and the Institute at the following terms.

The Revenue shall be divided between the inventor/innovator and the Institute according to the following rations:

a. Inventor/Innovator – 75 %
b. Institute’s ORIC Fund – 25 &

F- ADMINISTRATION

1. The Relevant Campus from where the IP is being filed by the applicant shall bear the Patent Filing Fee.
2. ORIC shall advise the Institute regarding taking up of, or application thereof, any IP of its employee for patent protection or any commercial project.
3. The inventor/innovator may not accept any amount/royalty/favor in request of lending the IP for commercial purposes without prior written permission of the Institution.

G- FINANCIAL SUPPORT

1. CUI will pay up to a maximum of US$ 15,000/- (Fifteen thousand dollars) for filing of a patent outside of Pakistan, which amount includes the maintenance fee for 20 years of the patent.
2. CUI will pay all applicable fee for filing of a Pakistan patent application as in vogue at the time.

*The IP Policy, upon approval of the Competent Authority, maybe amended from time to time.