Research activities at Tokyo Tech generate various forms of intellectual property assets ranging from inventions to computer programs and databases. Along with efforts to secure intellectual property rights, Tokyo Tech’s charter includes promoting commercial use of its intellectual property by businesses.
Tokyo Tech uses non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary information when discussing possible joint research projects and also when providing information relating to unpublished patent applications.
Both the provision and receipt of tangible research materials to and from outside organizations are handled by way of material transfer agreements. In principle, Tokyo Tech provides these materials for free for non-commercial purposes and for a fee for commercial purposes.
The Legal Affairs Section of the Office of Research and Innovation is responsible for conducting reviews of various contracts relating to university-industry collaborative activities, including collaborative research contracts and non-disclosure agreements.
The section, as the administrative office of the Conflict of Interest Committee, is also in charge of handling conflict of interest disclosures that are submitted by members of Tokyo Tech.
Inquiries: kanri.homu@sangaku.titech.ac.jp