CHAIR POLICY ON COLLABORATION WITH INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS

Article 1. Purpose

This Policy defines the conditions under which members of the Chair may participate in projects involving industrial partners, and sets out the principles governing roles, intellectual property, confidentiality, publication, and modes of engagement in such collaborations.

Article 2. Scope

This Policy shall apply to all PhD candidates, researchers, engineers, and other persons affiliated with or acting under the authority of the Chair who participate in projects involving one or more industrial partners.

Article 3. Authorization to Participate in Industrial Projects

Members of the Chair may participate in projects involving industrial partners, provided that such participation falls within the scientific and academic scope of the Chair, including, without limitation, artificial intelligence, explainability, federated learning, and related research fields. Such participation shall be permitted only insofar as it remains compatible with the academic mission, institutional obligations, and internal rules applicable to the Chair and the host institution.

Article 4. Allocation of Roles

1. The Chair shall contribute exclusively or primarily to research and scientific activities, including:

a. Algorithm design;

b. Model development;

c. Research-oriented components;

d. Methodological development; and

e. Scientific validation.

2. The industrial partner shall remain responsible for all industrial and operational activities, including:

a. System integration;

b. Deployment in industrial or operational environments;

c. Operational execution;

d. Implementation in production conditions; and

e. Commercial exploitation.

Article 5. Ownership of Intellectual Property

1. Unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing, all intellectual property rights arising from, generated in, or developed within the scope of an industrial project, including pilots, developments, implementations, and project-specific deliverables, shall belong exclusively to the relevant industrial partner (including company or its client, as defined in the project agreement).

2. The Chair and the host university shall not claim ownership over industrial outputs developed for or within the framework of such projects. The contribution of the Chair shall be limited to the provision of scientific expertise, research capacity, and development support as defined within the relevant collaboration framework.

3. The Chair retains the right to reuse general knowledge, skills, experience, and non-confidential know-how acquired during the collaboration, provided that no confidential or proprietary information of the industrial partner is disclosed.

Article 6. Pre-Existing Academic Intellectual Property

1. No collaboration with an industrial partner shall entail the transfer, assignment, disclosure, or licensing of any pre-existing intellectual property belonging to the Chair, IAD, the University of Dong A, or any related academic institution, except where expressly authorized by a separate written agreement.

2. Only project-specific components or results developed within the defined scope of the collaboration may be used for the purposes of the industrial project.

Article 7. Publication of General Scientific or Algorithmic Concepts

The Chair may publish or present general scientific, methodological, or algorithmic concepts arising from a collaboration with an industrial partner, provided that:

1. The prior written consent of the industrial partner has been obtained;

2. the publication remains at a general or abstract scientific level;

3. No confidential information, proprietary data, trade secret, implementation detail, or commercially sensitive information is disclosed; and

4. The intellectual property rights and legitimate commercial interests of the industrial partner are fully preserved.

Where the industrial partner has made a substantive scientific, technical, or methodological contribution to the relevant work, such contribution shall be duly acknowledged, including by co-authorship where justified by the actual contribution and in accordance with standard academic practice.

Article 8. Confidentiality Obligations

1. Any member of the Chair participating in a project involving an industrial partner and having access to the partner’s data, documentation, systems, or confidential information shall be required to sign an appropriate confidentiality undertaking, including a non-disclosure agreement where applicable, prior to the commencement of such participation.

2. All persons subject to this Policy shall comply strictly with all confidentiality obligations arising from contractual commitments, institutional rules, and applicable law.

Article 9. Funding and Engagement Arrangements

1. The participation of Chair members in industrial projects may be organized through the Chair’s own institutional framework, including project-based assignments, research missions, or equivalent arrangements.

2. Such participation shall not create any direct employment conflict, incompatibility of status, or improper legal dependency vis-à-vis the industrial partner.

Article 10. Mode of Execution

1. As a general rule, activities carried out under collaborations with industrial partners shall be performed remotely, in particular with respect to data analysis, model development, evaluation, and scientific validation.

2. Physical presence at the premises of the industrial partner shall be limited to cases where it is necessary for integration, testing, validation, technical transfer, training, or other justified operational purposes.

Article 11. Compliance Principle

All collaborations governed by this Policy shall be conducted in a manner that ensures:

1. Compliance with applicable legal, contractual, and institutional requirements;

2. Clear allocation and protection of industrial intellectual property rights;

3. Proper safeguarding of confidential and proprietary information;

4. Controlled academic dissemination subject to the rights and prior consent of the industrial partner; and

5. Efficient, practical, and scalable execution of collaborative projects.

Article 12. Final Provision

This Policy shall serve as the general framework governing the participation of the Chair in collaborations with industrial partners and may be supplemented, where necessary, by project-specific agreements, addenda, or contractual instruments.