Exploitation of intellectual property is an important element of application-oriented research. Contracts with third parties are usually drawn up based on the iterative adaptation of model contracts by the legal office at the research institution concerned and the cooperation partners. When drafting this type of cooperation agreement, usage rights relevant to the research project should be clearly agreed on from the outset. In any form of research cooperation, the recommendation is to start the dialogue on usage rights as early as possible and set everything down in writing so as to prevent uncertainties at a later stage.

Ideally, research institutions should provide handouts on how to deal with usage rights in general. Support can also be provided by the research institutions by offering training courses.