Students own their works developed in lecture-based courses or outside of any direct support from UW. If a student is an employee of the UW, including a graduate student doing funded research, then works created through the student’s employment are subject to the UW IP policy (EO 36). If a student participates in a research lab or in sponsored research, the student’s contributions to IP will be handled consistently with that research portfolio.
The UW encourages its students to look for opportunities to have impact. This may be in the form of scholarly publication, a career in the arts or in industry, or through entrepreneurship.
How IP may be assignable to the UW
Employment at UW
As an employee of the UW, a student is subject to the same policies that apply to faculty and staff. A very common form of employment for graduate students is to work on funded research projects.
Participation in a research group, laboratory, or sponsored project
The management of IP generated under these circumstances must maintain the integrity of the research program, acknowledge the use of public resources, and comply with the terms of the sponsored research contracts. A student’s contributions would have the same IP obligations as other participants in this research group, laboratory, or sponsored project.
