One of the goals of the University of Cape Coast, as set out in the research policy, is to encourage creativity and prompt and open dissemination of ideas and inventions by recognising and rewarding individual members of faculty, non-teaching staff and students. The commitment to develop new knowledge includes facilitating the practical application of that knowledge for public use. The University wishes to demonstrate that the public and private investments in funded research at UCC result in the creation of ideas and inventions that benefit society.

The University wishes to preserve the academic tradition of faculty ownership of certain scholarly works within the context of applicable law. The laws of Ghana provide that the University owns all intellectual property created or developed by an employee within the scope of his or her employment, including works developed under sponsored research or other agreements and works that make significant use of University funds or facilities. In seeking an appropriate balance between academic tradition and law, UCC’s Intellectual Property Policy recognises certain exceptions to the law that are well-established traditions in the academic setting.

The present Policy relates to the ownership, protection and commercial exploitation of Intellectual Property created by Researchers/Inventors/Innovators/Creators in the course of their duties or activities at the University. The document sets out the rules of the University for cooperation with industrial and business organisations and provides guidelines on the sharing of the economic benefits arising from the commercialisation of Intellectual Property.

The purpose of this Policy is to educate members of the University community about their rights and responsibilities regarding intellectual property. This Policy also describes the ways in which UCC faculty, non-teaching staff and students can protect the intellectual property that they create for their benefit as well as preserve the interests of the University and the public.

It is anticipated that this Policy will be augmented from time to time by statements of policy or practice that are focused on particular types of intellectual property, especially those arising out of new or evolving media or technology. Further, this Policy may be amended over time to effect changes deemed to be in the best interest of the University community.

This Policy aims to:

1. Promote, encourage and aid scientific investigation and research;
2. Provide legal certainty in research activities and technology-based relationships with third parties;
3. Set out the University’s procedures on the identification, ownership, protection and commercialisation of Intellectual Property;
4. Ensure timely and efficient protection and management of Intellectual Property;
5. Facilitate the recording, monitoring and maintenance of the University’s Intellectual Property portfolio;
6. Ensure that economic benefits arising from the commercialisation of Intellectual Property are distributed in a fair and equitable manner, recognising the contributions of the Inventors, the University as well as any other relevant stakeholders;
7. Enhance the reputation of the University as an academic research institution and the visibility of the researchers, creators and inventors.

In recognition of the foregoing, the University shall:

1. Recognise the right of faculty, non-teaching staff and students to publish their own research results and other scholarly information unless the principal investigator has agreed to restrictions in the agreements supporting such sponsored research.
2. Ensure that any individual who creates intellectual property should have a significant role in the determination of how such intellectual property will be registered, protected, enforced, monitored, publicised, commercialised or developed.
3. Permit faculty, non-teaching staff and student inventors/authors the freedom to place their inventions in the public domain if they believe that would be in the best interest of science or technology transfer and that doing so would not violate the terms of any agreement.
4. Provide patent, copyright, licensing, legal advice and technology transfer services to assist in the registration, enforcement, monitoring, protection, marketing and promotion of University-owned intellectual property.
5. Provide services for registering trademarks and service marks.
6. Provide the necessary financial resources for the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property, in appropriate cases.
7. Reward authors and inventors through sharing of royalties from inventions assigned to the University.
8. Reward Colleges, Faculties/Schools and Departments for creating productive research environments by sharing a portion of the royalties from inventions assigned to the University.