Intellectual Property Ownership

Distribution of Revenues from Licensing of UWM Intellectual Property

Guidelines concerning the distribution of royalties and other licensing income from inventions created by UWM faculty, staff, and/or students and held by the UWM Research Foundation (UWMRF) have been developed by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development. These guidelines, effective 29 July 2005, direct a large fraction of the initial revenues to the research program of the inventor, insuring that the inventor´s research program is the first beneficiary of any derived income.

Under the agreement between UWMRF and the University of Wisconsin System, UWMRF returns forty percent (40%) of the gross revenues from licensing of intellectual property to UWM. UWMRF will also return to the inventor(s) an additional twenty percent (20%) of the gross revenues as personal income.

From the revenues returned to UWM, 87.5% (35% of the total gross) will be distributed to the research program of the inventor(s), the "Lab Share," until the Lab Share reaches $100,000 per license. A Research and Technology Development Fund (RTD Fund) in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development will receive the remaining 12.5% of the revenue returned to UWM (5% of gross revenues). After the Lab Share reaches $100,000 the distribution of campus revenue return will be as follows: 50% of the revenue returned to UWM will go into the RTD Fund (20% of the gross revenue), 25% will go to the inventor's school or college (10% of the gross revenue), and 25% will go to the inventor's lab (10% of the gross revenue).

The Lab Share will be placed in a separate account by the Graduate School for each inventor with PI status. These accounts will be non-lapsing, unrestricted research accounts, which inventors can use at their discretion. The RTD Fund will be used at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Economic Development to advance research and technology development at UWM. When inventors leave, retire, or become inactive in research, there will no longer be a Lab Share and any balance remaining will revert to the RTD Fund.