MN-IP: Minnesota Innovation Partnerships
Streamlined Process, Up-Front Terms for Industry-Sponsored Research
Minnesota Innovation Partnerships (MN-IP) is an industry-friendly approach to contracting, allowing companies to quickly and easily partner with the University of Minnesota on research.
MN-IP streamlines the process of sponsoring research and licensing the resulting technology. With its up-front pre-negotiated IP (intellectual property) terms, MN-IP improves access and reduces the risk and cost to license University-developed technology created during an industry funded research project.
Master Research Agreements
Master Research Agreements (MRAs) at the University of Minnesota are based on MN-IP. MRAs define the terms for a single industry sponsor (company) to fund multiple research projects at the University over a period of time. Once a company has agreed to an MRA, individual projects can be processed quickly via a simple form that outlines the scope of a project and its funding.
The University has MRAs in place with more than 15 industry sponsors, including:
3M
BASF
Boston Scientific
Cisco Systems, Inc.
Donaldson Company
Dow
ExxonMobil
Honeywell
Intima Capital LLC
Medtronic
PepsiCo
Seagate
Sherwin Williams
Solventum
Syngenta Crop
Protection LLC
Toyota Research Institute
Why Choose MN-IP?
Here are some of the key benefits for companies when they choose MN-IP:
- One-time, upfront fee
- Control patent filings associated with the technology.
- Exclusive or nonexclusive worldwide rights to the technology
- Companies can also wait until the project is complete to license the technology.
- Royalties of 1 percent for exclusive licenses only if product sales exceed $20 million per year
- Royalty-free for nonexclusive licenses
For more about these MN-IP programs, contact Leza Besemann (612-625-8615, [email protected]).
Partners & Testimonials
