Knowledge Transfer Office

Protocols, Agreements and Contracts

Depending on their purpose, we differentiate the following types of agreements:

General Protocol of Action (PGA)

These are long-term agreements that establish the regulatory framework that will govern future relationships between the participating parties.

This type of agreement is appropriate when the parties express mutual interest in the joint development of various activities in the field of R&D&I (including training activities). They are merely declarations of intent of general content or that express a willingness to collaborate.

It should be clarified that, with a PGA in place, each specific collaboration between the parties must be regulated through specific agreements and/or contracts.

Specific agreement

These are agreements to regulate the joint development of specific activities. These agreements must be accompanied by a report justifying the project's content. If there is any financial contribution, a final budget must also be included.

Service provision contract

This type of contract includes advisory activities, sample analysis, commissioned R&D activities, etc.; in which a researcher, research team or university service is hired to provide a service to an external organization, receiving in return a remuneration for the work carried out.

If the service is provided by a research group, it is subject to the provisions of Article 83 of Organic Law 6/2001, of December 21, on Universities (LOU). In addition, the contract must be accompanied by the following signed documents:

  • Budget finalized.
  • Authorization from the department to which each participating researcher belongs.
  • Acceptance of the researcher to perform the service.

If the service is provided by a University service unit, it is carried out through its corresponding commission sheet.

Specific agreements for the protection and exploitation of results

There is a subtype of agreements that, due to their characteristics, can be grouped into those that aim to regulate the protection and exploitation of research results:

  • Joint Ownership Agreement: defines the ownership of those inventions that have been made jointly with other research groups or entities, ensuring the recognition of the work of our researchers.
  • Confidentiality Agreement: agreements that regulate the obligation to keep secret the information shared with third parties, about the research carried out by the University.
  • License and rights assignment agreement: directly related to intellectual and industrial property, involved in the management of its sale and use.
  • Material Transfer Agreement (MTA): These agreements regulate the transfer of tangible material between two institutions for use in research.
Flowchart and procedure
List of agreements