The CIIP Agreement is an internal document used to ensure all research project participants are aware of any agreement terms or sponsor guidelines related specifically to the use of confidential information and/or intellectual property. It is important that all project participants understand and abide by all of the terms that govern a research project, including, but not limited to, those related to the handling of confidential information and the use of intellectual property.
Every time a U of T researcher applies for funding, they must submit the funding application or agreement through My Research Application (MRA) to obtain institutional endorsement of the initiative. The researcher commits to ensuring that all members of the research team understand and abide by the obligations pertaining to the project including those related to the management of confidential information, publication and intellectual property. All staff and students should ask their supervisor if there are any restrictions on sharing information, publishing or intellectual property rights related to their research project.
During the last stage of the MRA process, the Principal Investigator (PI) is supplied with a CIIP Agreement. This form can be used at any time to track who has been informed about the following.
- Obligations regarding the storage, handling, dissemination and/or destruction of confidential information
- Rights granted to the sponsor regarding the review of results, reports, publications and other forms of public dissemination related to the project
- Rights, options or any other considerations to the sponsor regarding the use of project background or foreground research data, materials, tools, intellectual property (whether or not patentable), know-how, software, etc.
Professors and Faculty Members are responsible for ensuring all members of the research team comply with the terms of agreements signed by the university. The PI is also responsible for maintaining and storing the CIIP Agreements in a controlled environment easily accessible to the PI.
The CIIP agreement can be used to track who is bound by the agreement. Industry partners often require assurance that the research team has been informed of the agreement terms.
In order to inform others, the PI needs to have access to and understand the obligations themselves. Policies and agreements that may affect U of T’s CIIP obligations include, but are not limited to the following.
- Sponsor’s guidelines
- Collaboration Agreements
- License Agreements
- Sponsored Research Agreements
- Learn about Other Confidentiality Agreements
- Provide the Confidential Information and Intellectual Property (CIIP) Agreement
- Request a copy of the completed CIIP Agreement in order to reassure a sponsor that the research team is aware of the research agreement terms
