This has come up before but I thought it would be interesting to have a poll.
Perhaps respondents could also indicate whether their field is sciences, humanities or arts? I think things are likely to be quite different in different fields.
This all comes out of a conversation with a student at another uni who is worried about her rights - It would be interesting to see what the norm is.

In my uni, and i suspect in most, if not all unis, when you start a PhD you have to sign an Intellelctual Rights form which basically hands over all ownership of your work to the university, possible including your funding body. but unfortunately, we don't own it.

I'm going to be in science and mine will be a combination of the uni, myself the research council and the company that is part of the CASE studentship.

Arts & Humanities.. combination of myself, university and HEFCE.

I have no idea actually! I'm funded by a research council, so does it mean my work is jointly own by them and I (and my uni)?

I'm social science - my uni has intellectual property rights or something over it I think?? But I have to check EVERYTHING through my sponsor - it could potentially be pretty damaging to them and therefore have to anonymise all my writing, presentations etc. I had to sign a contract that said they'd have a say in what could go in my thesis etc.

I'm social science - my uni has intellectual property rights or something over it I think?? But I have to check EVERYTHING through my sponsor - it could potentially be pretty damaging to them and therefore have to anonymise all my writing, presentations etc. I had to sign a contract that said they'd have a say in what could go in my thesis etc.

======= Date Modified 11 May 2010 15:50:08 =======
I signed away my intellectual property rights at the first university where I was a PhD student. I didn't sign it away at the second one, and wasn't asked to. So, unless I'm very wrong, I own the rights. My funding council is relevant too, but they don't own the rights, just want to be acknowledged in publications etc. Mmmm.

Forgot to mention my field: was computer science the first time around, history the second.

oh my I dont know this.
THanks for this thread!
me am finding out

love
satchi

I don't know either! I'm humaities and funded by my university. Presumed it was me but shall find out.

I was science with research council funding and they and the uni own it - if you're funded , very rarely will you own the IP.

I had an access to a University Resource Website and all PhD thesis are available online to download. You have to agree that the Copyright belongs to the Author exclusively before you can download. Most of these are funded projects.

I stand very corrected, I was just looking at the BBSRC advice (who funded me).

http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?lID=1404&sID=106

"Ownership of intellectual property arising from a studentship lies initially with the student themselves. However, BBSRC expects the institution to enter into an agreement with the student which transfers ownership of any intellectual property arising during the studentship to the institution. The institution may then retain the intellectual property rights or assign them to an industrial partner under
exploitation arrangements in the same manner as for research grants. It is, however, expected to treat a student in a similar manner to other research staff in terms of sharing revenue under the institution’s “rewards to inventors” arrangements."

I do remember signing away the IP to the Uni though as part of the contract.

So ignore my last post 8-)