This provides information to the FSU community interested in a research collaboration with a company.

The following is divided into a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) and key Issues. It is hoped that readers can peruse this material quickly and obtain answers to specific questions or gain an understanding of the differences between dealing with the private sector and dealing with a traditional federal agency.

This Office of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization and Corporate R & D is also the contact point for outside organizations and individuals who want access for commercial or other public purposes to the skills, inventions and other resources of the FSU research community.

Differences: Working with the Private Sector

Federal Agencies have a mandate, budget, history, and mechanisms to solicit proposals and fund long-term university research of interest. Because of the history of their programs and the peer-adjudication selection methods used, federal funding is considered prestigious and hard won within a university perspective. They also have accounting mechanisms that return unspent funds to central agencies if uncommitted at year-end.

Corporations do not have a similar mandate. Internal funds set aside for research are used first for core mission internal projects. Then funds can be set aside for external purposes to lever internal resources, tap into specific expertise to address internal questions and to extend the reach of the company for several reasons, including evaluating future hires. There is not the same pressure to spend a certain level of funding nor commit funds by year-end, nor any special mandate for the public good. While companies are critically interested in the reputation and expertise of university researchers, the peer-adjudication process is secondary to the evaluation of the ability of the researcher to work with the company team and address an area important to the company.

The ability of the researcher to help address problems important to the company and find useable information is the prime consideration. Publishability of the results is less important. Typically, a company and university researcher will define a project of mutual interest, then provide funds at a level commensurate with a defined level of effort. Companies are flexible with line item budget expenditures as long as they are still within the project scope.

FAQ's

1. I have only a limited amount of time to write up research proposals. Why should I prefer a private sector sponsor to a federal granting agency?
   
   Federal grants are the sine qua non of university research and will remain so. However, corporate R&D funding is growing at a much faster pace than federal funds. Certain agencies are losing grounds to inflation, while others are not. The corporate criteria for review are different and budgets are more flexible. Sometimes, corporate funding will advance understanding in areas that are important to the company and useful to the researcher's next federal grant request.
   
   
2. Where do I find a list of potential private sector sponsors?
   
   This information is hard to come by. Not-for-profit Foundations publish their areas of support. Many companies place a list of key areas of interest on their research web sites, but there is no central list. In the late '90's MIT, U Penn and Ohio State University published studies that showed that 67% of the time, it is the faculty member who identifies a company interested in their research. A simultaneous study of how companies found university researchers stated that 67% of the time they were identified by company researchers through personal contacts and conferences, 20% of the time through publications, and the rest of the time through cold calls from universities.
   
   
3. Does my Dean approve of this sort of activity?
   
   This section is under construction
   
   
4. Do I have any colleagues who have gone through this before and can give me an uncolored "user" perspective?
   
   Yes. The Office can refer you to peers.
   
   
5. I'm really interested in this but I don't know where to start. How do I get started?
   
   Call the Office and talk with Kurt Moore, (850) 645-5753
   
   
6. Should I make the contact with a potential company sponsor by myself or have a university official help introduce me?
   
   Call the Office and talk with Kurt Moore to define a strategy.
   
   
7. What is typically covered in the first meeting with a company?
   
   A typical agenda for the first discussion with a company interested in a research collaboration with a FSU researcher is:
   
   
   • Who is the Company.
   • What are the Company Objectives and Needs in a possible collaboration?
   • What areas can the FSU researcher assist with?
   • What is the researcher's background and activities in the identified area?
   • What are FSU's institutional objectives in a possible collaboration?
   • Assuming there is an overlap in the company and researcher interests and timeframe, how do we negotiate and paper a collaboration? ( See a 'normal' FSU/Company Research Collaboration Agreement below).
   • How do we determine the Company's financial contribution to FSU costs ?
   • What is the process to reach agreement on collaboration terms, start the collaboration and manage it to a successful conclusion.
   • What do we need to be aware of and do after the Collaboration terminates?
   
   
   
8. Who should I contact at the university to draw up a contract assuming that the private sector partner wants to create one?
   
   Call the Office and talk specifics with Kurt Moore.
   
   
9. Will I receive an unrestricted grant for a company?
   
   No, not typically. The grant will specify a certain area of research which the researcher defines in a Proposal.
   
   
10. Will my IP rights be protected?
    
    Yes. This is part of the items covered in the collaboration document.
    
    
11. Will I be able to publish in a timely manner?
    
    Yes. This is part of the itmes covered in the collaboration document.
    
    
12. Will I have more or less flexibility in budgeting and spending?
    
    Probably more than a federal grant or contract.
    
    
13. Is a deliverable or product expected?
    
    Again, FSU will not guarantee any result, but promises a certain level of effort, by experienced personnel, in a defined area of research during the item of the grant.
    
    
14. Will the University provide matching of any sort, either cash or in-kind or teaching release?
    
    This section is under construction
    
    
15. What are the general terms of a R & D Agreement between FSU and a company?
    
    You can view the "standard" terms of our agreement here.
    Discussion of each paragraph leads to better understanding and expectations.
    
    
16. Who can help me with preparing a budget?
    
    The start is a clear resolution with the Company as to the tasks of interest and the scope and timing of the work. Only with the scope of the work clear, can a researcher prepare a budget based on cost estimates. The company will respect your request that the budget be large enough to be of interest amidst the full range of activities of your current research program and also providing support for students, etc. for full semesters, etc.
    
    
17. What about overhead? Why charge overhead at federal rate with NGO charge 10% or less?
    
    This is always a contentious issue in these days of limited resources. FSU negotiates its rate with the federal government which pays overhead on funded research. As a state agency, it is considered to be subsidizing the private sector if an overhead rate is not charged or is less than the federal rate. Likewise a rate more than the federal rate is considered to be a 'profit' and not permitted.
    
    Companies contracting with outside companies for services are often charged 150% in overhead, which is considered an accepted cost-of-doing-business. Other state universities charge overhead on grants from companies (see Kurt's email). In the state of Florida the University of Florida is particularly clear in its policy. It charges federal rates.
    
    Within FSU, overhead funds are subject to a distribution where 33% is retained to run the Office of Research; 17% is distributed through the campus by the Council on Creativity and Research (CRC) and the remaining 50% is distributed to Deans and Department Chairs. Direct benefit to individual faculty members depends on faculty and department actions.
    
    FSU (and UF) do indeed accept overhead at less than federal rates from non government and State agencies when such Agencies have a stated policy to pay less).
    
    
    • How to place overhead in budget
    • web page
    • Issue of zero sum game
18. What are the issues in an Agreement where there is flexibility? What are the issues that the University has the least flexibility?
    
    This section is under construction
    
    
19. Rather than work with a Company, I am interested in participating in starting a new company based around my research. How do I get started?
    
    Call the Office and talk with Jack Sams or John Fraser.
    
    
20. What are the potential problems around conflicts of interest?
    
    This section is under construction