Industry Consortia

Collaborative Sponsorship

Industry consortia, where multiple companies sponsor research, can be highly advantageous in certain research areas and long-term projects. This is particularly relevant in emerging technology domains where research results are likely informative and pre-competitive, and not yet ready for protection under a patent application. In these situations, companies value the benefits of fostering communication and collaboration in these developing areas more than the possible commercial advantage of single sponsorship.  

Consortium agreements typically grant the same terms and rights to all sponsors for the same fee. Like all industry-sponsored research, the agreements permit open access and publication to research results, but also promote discussion among consortium members and PIs, and provide early insights into innovative research areas to industry.