Intellectual Property and Spin-Out Committee
(Sub-Committee of Executive Board)
1. Secretary
Administrator, Business Development and Enterprise
2. Membership
(a) Chair appointed by Executive Board
(b) Executive Director of Finance (Deputy Chair)
(c) Dean of Business and Innovation
(d) Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation
(e) Up to two representatives from each Faculty (Dean and Associate Dean), most closely associated with Research and Innovation
(f) Director of Business Development and Enterprise
(g) Head of Company Creation
(h) Head of Enterprise Services
(i) Up to three lay members, appointed by the Committee
A quorum shall be not be fewer than one third of the members.
3. Procedure
Meetings will be held quarterly and follow an annual business schedule.
3.1 Reporting and delegation
- Annual spin out and IP activity report from IPSOC to Executive Board.
- Management of individual patents is delegated from IPSOC to Faculty subgroups, which provide an annual report to IPSOC.
- Company creation team supplies quarterly reports to IPSOC.
- Intellectual Property Team provides an annual report to IPSOC.
4. Terms of Reference
Intellectual Property
a. Develop the University’s Policy on Ownership, Protection and Exploitation of Intellectual Property for Employees and associated procedures, reviewing them regularly and recommending changes as necessary to Executive Board, Finance Committee and Newcastle University Holdings Ltd.
b. Provide a strategic overview of the University’s approach to filing and maintaining patents and licensing use of its intellectual property.
c. Provide a strategic overview of the adequacy and use of the University’s patent budget.
Spin Out Activity
d. Agree the University’s “standard offering” for spin outs including: equity stakeholding; use of university assets; provision of staff time and contribution to patent costs, etc.
e. Review and endorse the University’s “standard offering” on an annual basis.
f. Consider proposals for the formation of companies involving university staff and/or university Intellectual Property. Provide approval, non-approval or approval with conditions for all proposals presented.
g. Consider requests for deviations from the University’s “standard offering” on a case by case basis.
h. Consider requests from companies to take a licence to the
University’s corporate trademark on products/services which the University has been involved in developingi. Consider annually the University’s equity schedule and make recommendations regarding the strategic management of the portfolio of spin out companies, including reviewing the success of companies and considering how they are supported.
Approved by Executive Board 29th January 2019
Updated by IPSOC January 2025