Transfer: science / economy
Industry projects involve an exchange between Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf as a provider of research and development work and other services and a second organisation (normally a for-profit business) commissioning the University to perform the requested service for a fee.
In these cases, HHU presents itself as a business on the market and is obliged to act in accordance with the customary legal, fiscal and business practices.
In particular, the fee paid to HHU in exchange for its services must be in line with market requirements. The University must charge its contract partner an individual and appropriate profit margin in addition to the actual cost incurred while performing the contracted service.
Ownership of inventions and patents produced as part of a contracted service is to be transferred separately and must be charged at the normal market rate.
Please contact our contract lawyer in advance if you intend to carry out an industry project!
Our contract lawyer is available to provide comprehensive advice on commercial, legal and tax affairs.
The consultation is structured as follows:
• the intended project and its circumstances are discussed in detail;
• the cost of the project is calculated to commercial standards;
• a draft contract is produced;
• tax implications are considered.
Following the consultation, you will be able to approach your contract partner with a well-prepared, precisely calculated project proposal and a concrete draft contract.
We will provide you with the latest relevant tool for calculating your industry project, the finished draft contract, and all other necessary documents as part of your consultation.
After all parties have signed the contract and the project has commenced, please ensure that no party to the contract deviates in any way from the terms that have been agreed upon. This includes you, your employees and everyone on your contract partner’s side. A project that is executed outside of the terms of its contract may have repercussions for the University under foreign-trade laws, tax laws and/or state aid laws. Please discuss any intended modifications to the project that deviate from the contractual terms with our contract lawyer first.
Contact person

Contract management
Floor/Room: 04.50