Agreements with other parties
If you are part of a research project that includes collaboration with other organizations, there are several aspects that need to be agreed upon, such as research data. Collaborative research projects may involve researchers from different universities and different countries, collaborations with private companies, government agencies, or healthcare providers.
A research project carried out in collaboration between multiple parties should, in principle, always be governed by a research collaboration agreement that outlines the rights and obligations of the parties involved. Contact a legal officer at your organization for assistance in drafting such an agreement.
A research collaboration agreement ensures that all parties understand and agree on the terms and conditions related to various aspects of the project’s research, data, and results. This is particularly important when the participating organizations have differing perspectives or policies on copyright and access to research materials generated within the project.
One key issue that should be clarified in advance is how research data from the project will be managed and how they may be used. It must be clearly specified who will have access to the data, or parts of the data, where they will be stored, and how they may be used. As a researcher, are you guaranteed access to the project’s data in the way you need and for as long as required? If you need to set up common rules or routines for data management, they should be attached to the research agreement, for example, in the form of a joint data management plan.
The research collaboration agreement should also cover rules about how the project’s data and research results may be made accessible in the future. Does any party hold ownership or copyright over the research results – and the research data? What are the terms of use? Is there a risk that you, as an individual researcher, or your university, may lose access to the data after the project ends?
Sometimes, research data are included in what is defined in the agreement as results. In such cases, the rights and obligations concerning data are regulated in the same way as other research results. However, research data may also be regulated separately. The most appropriate approach should be determined by the project partners at the outset of each collaboration, depending on how they intend for the data to be used during and after the project.
Agreements may also be required for other aspects, such as limiting liability or compensation claims. If personal data are to be processed within the project, a data processing agreementOpens in a new tab (IMY.se) between the parties may also be necessary.
When researchers from multiple research organizations, or multiple research principals, participate in projects that require ethical approval, the research principals must jointly designate one of them as the applicant in the application for ethical reviewOpens in a new tab (SND.se). The designated applicant is responsible for informing the other principals of the decision made by the Ethics Review Authority but does not hold overall responsibility for everything that takes place within the project. Each research principal is only responsible for the part of the research project carried out in its own operations.
It is essential to identify which organization(s) act as the research principal(s) in a multi-party project to determine who holds overall responsibility for different aspects of the research. Otherwise, there is a risk that research could be conducted without the necessary approvals.