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The University of Manchester regards the creation of intellectual property (IP) as one of its major objectives, complementary to the core objectives of knowledge creation, scholarship and learning. The University has a duty to develop policies and support services which create the best possible environment for IP to be created, developed and to be transferred into practical use. The central features of these policies are: > effective, efficient, transparent and user-friendly university services which can evaluate and protect IP and then, in the context of each circumstance and opportunity, decide on the most appropriate way to bring about its use; and > arrangements for sharing any commercial returns from IP commercialisation projects which provide for generous rewards to the originators of the IP. The University's IP Policy deals with the ownership, protection and commercialisation of IP created by employees and students of the University, as well as the interface with others who may fund or collaborate with the University in the creation of IP. Our IP Policy was particularly praised in a recent government report on IP. It is important that all staff and students have at least a general understanding of what the IP Policy says and how it affects what they do, whether in relation to the IP you create yourself or in relation to your supervision or collaboration with others. The IP Policy is necessarily quite a detailed document and we recognise that not everyone has the time to read it in full, or may only want to access the detail at a time when they have an issue to address. We have therefore created this Guide to provide you with a brief, user-friendly overview of the key issues relating to the IP Policy. Remember though that this is just a guide and it is not a substitute for looking at the IP Policy when you are dealing with specific issues relating to IP. The University of Manchester Intellectual Property (UMIP), which acts as the University's agent in dealing with IP protection and commercialisation, can provide clarification and advice on any aspects of the IP Policy. UMIP is a division of The University of Manchester I3 Limited. I encourage everyone to read this Guide and to refer back to it whenever you need general guidance on the University's IP Policy and how it affects you. You can access the IP Policy here: http://documents.manchester.ac.uk/ display.aspx?DocID=487. The main thing is for you to continue the creative and innovative work for which the University is renowned. 5

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