5. What are the implications for ownership of IP when there is a private sponsor for the research?
Where there is a private sponsor (by which we mean a private sector or industry funder) for the underlying research, there will usually be a contract between the sponsor and the research institute.
Frequently that contract will limit the rights that the research institute and the researchers (including any students) might have in relation to the IP that is generated from the research funded by the sponsor.
Typically, the sponsor will want to have all rights to the IP assigned to it and will only allow the research institution and researchers to have a limited license for educational purposes and to undertake further research.
Or even where the University retains rights in the IP, their licensing rights will be severely limited.
Also, it is not uncommon, to have these agreements override what is in the IP policy.
It is therefore critical for any researcher (including a student) to understand what rights they have when they are participating in academic research or are part of any entrepreneurial student program where the work is being privately funded.