Research Services Order Guidelines

The Research Services Order (RSO) is used in connection with short-term, limited-scope projects sponsored by a private, for-profit entity.  In a typical case, the sponsor would provide samples, data or processes and UWM would then analyze, evaluate or characterize them in accordance with the sponsor's requirements.

The RSO allows the sponsor to own inventions made by UWM if they involve the use of, composition of, or an improvement to sponsor-provided materials or information, or a derivative or analogue thereof.  Other inventions, however, are owned by the university; the sponsor gets a short-term option to license those inventions if it wants to use them commercially.

The RSO must be accompanied by a well-defined scope of work that does not involve basic, fundamental or applied research.  All project-related costs must be fully reimbursed by the RSO; no other funds or resources may be used in performance of the scope of work.  In particular, no commingling of federal funds is allowed.

Research Services Orders are negotiated by the UWM Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) in cooperation with the university's intellectual property management organization. To initiate the process, please create a WISPER record, sign the record and route it for further signatures according to the WISPER instructions for your school or college. OTT will prepare a Research Services Order and forward it to the sponsor.