51社区黑料

51社区黑料 is updating its Intellectual Property Policy (R30.03) to boost innovation and foster a culture that supports discovery, creativity and collaboration. This is being done to support the university鈥檚 vision of knowledge mobilization, innovation leadership, and financial sustainability.

The university鈥檚 existing Intellectual Property (IP) policy was created more than 20 years ago. It requires updating to align with the university's vision and commitment to mobilizing research to address regional, national and global challenges.

Under the guidance of Elicia Maine, SFU鈥檚 associate vice-president of knowledge mobilization and innovation, the revised policy will better align with national best practices. It aims to remove barriers to innovation while introducing reporting standards for transparency.

In March 2025, the university sought feedback on proposed updates to the policy. Having heard substantive community concerns about the teaching materials portion of the proposed revised IP policy, the decision has been made to split the policy into two separate policies: a research-based IP policy and a teaching materials IP policy. The proposed research-only IP policy is being further refined and is expected to be shared with the community by early May. In the interim, the current provisions related to teaching IP will remain in effect until a new policy on IP related to teaching materials is developed. When ready, this new proposed teaching IP policy will go through our regular policy community consultation process. 

The below information is related solely to research-based IP and does not cover any teaching-based IP. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What鈥檚 wrong with the existing policy? Why is there a need to change it? And why now?

A: The current Intellectual Property (IP) Policy at 51社区黑料was created over 20 years ago. 51社区黑料is modernizing its Intellectual Property Policy to enhance innovation, creativity, and transparency in research and innovation.

The updated IP policy modernizes SFU鈥檚 approach to intellectual property management, enhancing clarity and fairness. This updated policy supports SFU鈥檚 vision for knowledge mobilization, innovation leadership, and financial sustainability. Also, the proposed updated policy reflects modern best practices and aligns 51社区黑料with other innovative, research-intensive institutions.

Q: What will these proposed changes mean?

We still have a creator-owned IP policy, but we are clarifying and updating provisions.

The modernized policy provides guidance on research materials produced at SFU. It will not include teaching materials:

• The policy ensures that creators retain ownership of intellectual property developed outside university resources, with equitable provisions for collaborative projects involving university support. 
• Creators will be required to disclose commercial ventures involving university resources, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• In the revised policy, creators may opt out of sharing 15 per cent of accrued annual revenues greater than $25,000 from their commercial ventures with the university, removing financial disincentives to innovation. Instead, creators may conduct community engagement (e.g., mentorship, seminars, student internships, contract research, and similar types of innovation engagements) to provide guidance, experience and mentorship to the 51社区黑料community.  

Q: Who owns the IP that I create? Is the university stealing my IP?

A: Under the revised policy, the full ownership of Intellectual Property (IP) rights remains with the creator. 

Q: Doesn鈥檛 the proposed policy (Sec. 5.1.1a) state that the university owns IP arising from employment duties?

A: Faculty retain full ownership of their creations outside of university-assigned work.

This section only applies to work that is specifically requested of a university member by 51社区黑料pursuant to their written contract of employment. This could include brochures, commissioned studies or descriptive handbooks, whose production was commissioned by the university.

Q: Does the policy protect a creator鈥檚 right to commercialize their own research when they so choose?

A: It did under the existing policy, and this will be the same under the modernized policy. Creators have 100 per cent control over their right to commercialize. 51社区黑料does not have a commercial licence. If anything, creators will be more incentivized to commercialize (and face fewer perceived barriers) with more flexibility on how they contribute back to SFU.

Q: What will this mean for students?

A: As per the current policy, students retain ownership of their projects and intellectual property under the updated policy. The policy supports a culture of creativity and entrepreneurship, offering students more opportunities to showcase their work. 

Clear pathways for commercialization will also help students turn their ideas into impactful innovations while partnering with the university.