Revenue sharing at the University of Cambridge
Cambridge Enterprise handles the sharing of licensing revenue with inventors and departments in accordance with the University’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy.
Most researchers work through Cambridge Enterprise to commercialise their IP (opt-in). If their funding allows, researchers can choose to commercialise their IP independently (opt-out).
The tables below show the revenue sharing policy for opt-in and opt-out for registrable IP. Net income is income received by Cambridge Enterprise less expenditure on:
- All reasonable expenses paid outside the University and Cambridge Enterprise, including patent agent fees, for the filing, prosecution and maintenance of IPR
- All reasonable external legal fees incurred in the commercialisation of the IP
- All reasonable external legal fees expended on litigation
- All reasonable expenditure on insurance relating to the maintenance and enforcement of IPR
- Any revenue due to third parties, such as sponsors
- Any other expenditure that is agreed upon by the inventors (for example, some types of proof of concept funds)
Cambridge Enterprise distributes income equally between inventors and other relevant creators identified by the inventors, unless advised otherwise in writing. Note that, although Cambridge Enterprise is set up as a for-profit organisation, we donate all our taxable trading surpluses (if any) to the University each year.
Revenue sharing opt-in
This refers to the revenue share used when researchers work through Cambridge Enterprise to commercialise their IP.
| Net income | Inventor(s) | Department(s) | Cambridge Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| First £100,000 (£197,649 RPI*) | 90% | 5% | 5% |
| Next £100,000 (£197,649 RPI*) | 60% | 20% | 20% |
| Above £200,000 (£395,298 RPI*) | 34% | 33% | 33% |
Revenue sharing opt-out (hand-back)
This refers to the revenue share used when researchers choose to commercialise their IP independently, and the University hands back ownership of the IP to the researchers.
| Net income | Inventor(s) | Department(s) | University |
|---|---|---|---|
| First £50,000 (£98,825 RPI*) | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Above £50,000 (£97,793 RPI*) | 85% | 7.5% | 7.5% |
*The RPI adjusted threshold, as per direction of the 2005 IPR Policy (that is, adjusted for the period 12/12/2005 to 31/03/2024). For income received during the agreement’s life, thresholds will be RPI adjusted from the date of the receipt of the income back to 12/12/2005, before income is calculated and distributed to the parties listed above.
