How do we share ownership to project results?

Results are:

are any (tangible or intangible) output of a project e.g. data, knowledge or information — in any form or nature
it is a result whether it can be protected or not
it includes any rights attached to it, such as intellectual property rights

For ownership to results there are two options:

Ownership by the partner that generates the results
Joint ownership by several partners

In 1 the results are owned by the partner that generates them.

In 2 two or more beneficiaries own results jointly because:

they have jointly generated them and
it is not possible to:
- establish the respective contribution of each partner, or
- separate them for the purpose their protection

The easiest is that each partner owns their own results. If this is not possible or if joint ownership is wanted by the partners, the joint owners must write an agreement about how they will use their joint ownership.

Best practice: To avoid or resolve ownership disputes, it may be smart to keep documents such as laboratory notebooks to show how and when you produced the results.

Tip:

When you write about impact it may be smart to look at the results. It is logic that a partner that creates and owns a result is involved in dissemination and use of that result.

Remember:

The use (and value) of your results may depend on access rights to knowledge created or owned by others in the project. It this is the case you should have an understanding of what the “fair and reasonable conditions” means in your case.

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