Research Agreements

Before you enter into an agreement, please look through the Legal Affairs Office's checklist for research contracts.

It is important to secure oral agreements in written format since there is a greater chance of the parties being aware of the substance of the agreement, if it is executed in writing. In comparison to written agreements, it is also more difficult to prove the contents of an oral agreement.

Who is authorized to sign the agreement?

Contracts must be signed by a person who is authorized under the current delegation of authority at the University. Provided that delegations has been obtained, this is generally the Head of Department at a department and the Chief Officer at other divisions of the University.

For some categories of agreements (e.g. research support from the European Commission or the federal US authorities) the authorized signatory is the Vice-Rector. It follows from the personal delegation of authority regarding the Head of Department/the Chief Officer when he or she is not authorized to sign an agreement.

Whoever signs the agreement on behalf of the University is responsible for making sure that the University is able to meet the obligations of the agreement. This includes the ability of the University to grant rights to results if this is an obligation under the agreement. Since results are usually owned by the researchers themselves and to secure the rights in this regard, the Legal Affairs Office recommends that a written confirmation is obtained from the principal investigator. Also, the recommendation includes imposing on the principal investigator to obtain corresponding confirmations from the other participating researchers.

Template Conditions for participation in the following projects at Uppsala University Word, 24 kB.