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Intellectual Property Committee

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Core terms of reference

The RMIT University Intellectual Property Committee (“the Committee”) is an advisory Committee to the Vice Chancellor.

The Committee will be responsible for all aspects of intellectual property arising from research, its application and innovation, teaching materials and courseware and their commercial application (“intellectual property”) within the University and without limiting the generality of the same will:

(a) make policy recommendations on intellectual property ownership rights between the University, its academic and research groups, members of staff and students, its commercial companies and parties external to the University including the division of any income derived from the commercialisation of intellectual property,

(b) recommend the extent to which the University will support the development of any intellectual property,

(c) inform the Vice Chancellor on the activities of the Committee,

(d) recommend on the dissemination of material to inform the wider University community of any matters of intellectual property law, including for research, teaching materials, courseware and student assessment, and monitor the effectiveness of such dissemination,

(e) inform the University community about intellectual property matters,

(f) recommend to the Vice Chancellor the establishment of a sub-Committee to resolve any dispute submitted to it by a member of staff or student concerning:

(i) the ownership of intellectual property,

(ii) the division of any income arising from the commercialisation of intellectual property.

Where the Committee is unable to resolve any dispute submitted to it under these categories, the member of staff or student may appeal to the Vice Chancellor under Regulation 7.1.1 sub -section 6(f).

Membership

Members Ex-officio

  • Vice Chancellor and President, or nominee
  • Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic and Vice President
  • Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation and Vice President
  • University Librarian
  • General Counsel
  • Director, Research Collaborations and Partnerships

Nominated members

  • Three academic staff members to be nominated by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research and Innovation, in consultation with the Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic.
  • One representative of RMIT’s research student cohort.

Co-opted Members

The Committee, at the discretion of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation), will have the power to co-opt members to provide required expertise. Such members shall have full speaking and voting rights.

Observers (Non-Voting)

Persons may be invited by the Chair of the Committee from time to time as non-voting members to attend and advise the Committee on specific matters. An observer’s participation will extend only to the meeting(s) nominated by the Committee.

Chair

The Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) and Vice President will be the Chair.

Deputy Chair

The Committee will elect a Deputy Chair from its voting members at the first meeting in each calendar year.

Secretary

The Committee Secretary will be appointed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) and shall have no voting or speaking rights, except on the specific invitation of the Chair or by direction of the meeting.

Executive

  • The Chair may authorise a meeting of an Executive of the Committee to facilitate business in a timely fashion.
  • The Executive shall comprise the Chair or Deputy Chair, plus two members.
  • Outcomes of executive meetings shall be included in the agenda of the next meeting of the Committee for ratification.

Quorum

  • Quorum for a meeting shall consist of 50% plus one of voting members.
  • If no quorum is present notes may be taken of the meeting but motions cannot be carried.
  • In the absence of both the Chair and the Deputy Chair, a member elected by members present at the meeting shall preside.

Meetings

The Committee shall meet:

(a) not less than once in each semester,

(b) when convened by the Chairperson, or at the request of the Vice Chancellor.

Minutes

Minutes of each meeting of the Committee will be submitted to the Vice Chancellor.

Eligibility and elections

a. Nominated members will hold office for a term of two years, with an option to be reappointed.