The Social Representations and Communication Research Centre and Multimedia Lab's policy on IPR issues is in accordance with European Commission recommendations on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and the Code of Practice for Universities and other public research organisations.
The Research Trainee Agreement includes a clear statement about IPR issues, including protection to background or foreground for carrying out the project, to be signed by each ESR recruited. In particular, to prevent any potential tension about Intellectual Property Right connected to the involvement of the ESR and co-supervisors on top of previous multiyear work conducted by the project leader prof. Annamaria de Rosa and by offering the access to its related tools and data sources (meta-theoretical grid, SoReCom "A.S. de Rosa" @-Library, multi-media documentation etc. not yet published or open-access), the Research Trainee Agreement includes a clear statement about IPR issues to be signed by the ESR since the beginning of his/her enrolment. This contract will also make clear that the secondment period at the co-supervisor’s institution for complementary training does not grant any right to the co-supervisor to access to the project leader’s data and tools that aren’t yet published (including the web tools with restricted access) or to automatically participate in the scientific publications related to the core of this individual research project (whether it be a publication of the sole project leader or a joint publication of the project leader with the ESR).
Moreover, both research trainees and trainers must ensure that the research conducted is relevant to society and does not duplicate research previously conducted elsewhere, avoid plagiarism of any kind and respect the principles of intellectual property and data ownership in all circumstances, including in collaboration on research programs led by tutors, other researchers and research trainees. The ESR must abide by the principle of intellectual property and joint data ownership since the research is carried out in collaboration with a supervisor and/or other researchers. In accordance with European Commission recommendations on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities and the Code of Practice for Universities and other public research organisations [Brussels, 10.4.2008 C (2008)1329] and some of the basic IPR principles of the European Charter for Researcher:
- “Researcher should recognise the limitations to this freedom that could arise as a result of particular research circumstances (including supervision/guidance/management) or operational constraints, e.g. for budgetary or infrastructural reasons or, especially in the industrial sector, for reasons of intellectual property protection. Such limitations should not, however, contravene recognised ethical principles and practices, to which researchers have to adhere.”
- “Researchers at all levels must be familiar with the national, sectoral or institutional regulations governing training and/or working conditions. This includes Intellectual Property Rights regulations, and the requirements and conditions of any sponsor or funders, independently of the nature of their contract. Researchers should adhere to such regulations by delivering the required results (e.g. thesis, publications, patents, reports, new products development, etc) as set out in the terms and conditions of the contract or equivalent document.”
- “Employers and/or funders should therefore develop strategies, practices and procedures to provide researchers, including those at the beginning of their research careers, with the necessary framework conditions so that they can enjoy the right to be recognised and listed and/or quoted, in the context of their actual contributions, as co-authors of papers, patents, etc, or to publish their own research results independently from their supervisor(s)”.
In particular:
- Given that - in agreement with the specific call for vacancy - the So.Re.Com. Joint-IDP project coordinator and research main supervisor prof. Annamaria de Rosa will contribute substantially to a trainee's individual research project by assisting in the formulation of hypotheses, providing tools on top of previous multiyear work and by offering the access to data sources (meta-theoretical grid, SoReCom "A.S. de Rosa" @-Library, multi-media documentation etc. not yet published or open-access), also providing human/technical resources, etc., the So.Re.Com. Joint-IDP project leader name should appear in any publications or conference papers or any other sort of dissemination of the research.
- Therefore the research trainee will be collaborating on the project (Title of the project to be filled: …………………………..) already developed by So.Re.Com. Joint-IDP project leader and research main supervisor (name of the So.Re.Com. Joint-IDP project leader and research main supervisor to be filled: prof. Annamaria de Rosa) the research trainee understand that as creator of the study, the research supervisors and project leader is the owner of the intellectual property rights for the entire research programme. As for any research he/she may develop under the research director's lead and supervision, the research trainee commits to participate in the research in accordance with the time and modalities established by the research director and not to divulge or publish in any way or form (including via Internet) anything concerning the study without the express permission of the research director. With his/her written permission and upon approval of the text, conference papers, publications or any other sort of dissemination of the research can be released jointly, respecting the research director's intellectual property rights as the primary author.