1(4)
PROJECT CONTRACT
A commissioner-funded master’s thesisproject
The purpose of this project contract is to define the content and terms for
the master’s thesis project commissioned by and
organised by the Department of , University of Jyväskylä.
1 Project name and abbreviation
2 Commissioner’sinformation
Supervisor of the project
Phone
Address
Invoicing address (if other than above)
3 University’s information
Contact person
Phone and fax
Address
Supervisor of the master’s thesis (if other than the contact person)
Phone and fax
Address
4 Topic of the project(possibly detailed further in the research plan)
5 Implementation of the project
The University of Jyväskylä will hire the student(s)for the project period [insert dates]. The student(s) will be working in the premises of the University/organisation. Because the scope of this project is essentially a master’s thesis, the University cannot guarantee that the goals set for the project will be achievedwithin the agreed schedule.
6 Project invoicing and payment schedule
The project will be carried out at the price of EUR + VAT 24%.
The payment will be made
in one instalment/ 201_ EUR,or in twoinstalments:
1st instalment / 201_ EUR ,
2nd instalment / 201_ EUR.
7 Rights to the background material and project outcomes
The contracting parties may use the other party’s background material available for the project, but only in tasks thatcomply with this contract.
The commissioner gets ownership rights to the project outcomes produced by the student(s), with the proviso of the below specifications concerning master’s theses and patentable inventions, once the agreed payments have been made. The University will take care of the necessary transfers of rights.
The University and the student(s)having worked in the project are entitled to use the professional skills and experience gained in the project also in activities beyond the purposes of the project. In particular, the student is entitled to use the results for the master’s thesis.
The copyright of the master’s thesis remains with the student. However, the commissioner receives parallel user rights to the thesis once it is finished. Hence, the commissioner maymake copies of the thesis and distribute it within the company or companies belonging to the same group.
A commissioner requesting ownership rights to a patentable invention made by a studentmust pay the student a reasonable compensation for these. When determining the reasonable level of such compensation, the parties may refer to the commissioner’s internal regulations for inventions. If the invention has particular financial significance forthe commissioner, the contracting parties mayseparately negotiate paying a non-recurring bonus to the University.
8 Confidentiality
The contracting parties will not expose any confidential information or documents received in connection with this research to any third party. The commissioner is obliged to specifywhich parts of the given information should be treated as confidential. However, the confidentiality classification never applies to information (a) that has become public knowledge without any contract violation by the University, (b) that University staff or a third party have developed independently without any contract violation by the University, (c) for which the commissioner has given permission to publish or use, or d) that must be published by an order of a court or other competent authority.
9 Publicity of master’s theses
The publicity of master’s theses is regulated by the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999). Since master’s theses writtenat universities are documents that are submitted to authorities, they are public in principle. To learn research reporting, it is important for students to be able to examine theses of varying levels in their own field.Additionally, the theses contribute to new knowledge that should not be prevented from being sharedwithout good reasons to do so.Theses submitted for review should not include any business or trade secrets but theymust be left in the background material. The commissioner may, if it so wishes, remain anonymous in a public master’s thesis. However, this has to be agreed on in good time in the writing process.
Throughits supervision,the commissioner is committed to help ensure that the master’s thesis will not include confidential material. The project supervisor assigned by the commissioner must have a chance to get familiar withthe thesis at least twenty (20) days before its planned submission to departmental review. The commissioner is entitled to requestmodifications to the thesis ifits publication would threaten the commissioner’s potentialpatent application or other protection of intellectual rights, or if it includes thecommissioner’s confidential information. The reasons for a negative decision must be stated. The student is entitled to obtainthe rejected material and edit it in collaboration with the commissioner. The student has the right to leave the thesis for review once the points conflicting with the commissioner’s interests have beenremoved. If the commissioner requests no changes to the thesis within the aforementioned period, the student is entitledto submit the thesis as such to the departmentaloffice for the assignment of reviewers.
10 Liability
Because this is a student assignment, the University gives no warranty for the project outcomes and their use lies solely on the commissioner’s responsibility. The University’s financial liability is always limited, at maximum, to the sum the commissioner has paid to the University on the basis of this project contract. The University is not liable for any indirect damage. Similarly, the University is not liable for any damages occurring in potentialexperimental or test activities within the project.
11 Other terms
In other respects, the master’s thesis and its supervision are subject to the University’s own rules.
This contract has beenmadeintwo identical copies, one for each contracting party.
Signatures
University of Jyväskylä/ 201_
Dean XX
Commissioner
/ 201_
AppendixThe research plan of student NN
A statement of commitment by the thesis author (must be filled at least in the University’s copy of the contract)
I, ______,have familiarised myself with the above contract, accept it and commit myself to comply, for my own part, with the provisions included, especially those concerning the ownership and user rights to the project outcomes, confidentiality issues and publication procedures.
Place and date
______/______201_
Signature and printed name
______