Contract research

Many Hohenheim researchers work together very closely with private industrial companies.

Often this is done in the form of contract research.

Contract research is important for our research environment - financially, for the transfer of knowledge, and also for industrial contacts.

However, not in every case do the company and the university pursue the same interests. In addition, as publicly funded institutions, universities are subject to special regulations when they offer their services on the market.

Definition:

Contract research is a legally binding (by contract or by acceptance of an offer and the GTCs of UHOH) legal transaction,

  • between the contracting company and the University of Hohenheim (not the individual researcher or an institute/department),
  • in which a defined research assignment (e.g. researching a specific issue or conducting defined research) is contracted,
  • in which an exchange of services takes place; this is usually done by transferring the rights and exploitation options to the contracting company and/or ensuring that findings may not be published without the consent of the client,
  • in which the University must offer its services at market price or full cost .

Binding procedure

Classification

  • It is not always easy to see whether a request is contract research in the above sense. If necessary, please have this checked by the Research Support Department.
  • Contract research is always subject to separate accounting, i.e. the university is engaged in commercial activity, thereby potentially competing with other providers and thus subject to EU state aid law. See detailed presentation of the legal background... (login necessary)

Rights distribution

  • Projects in which an entrepreneurial partner agrees in principle to publication of the results, but secures a right of first refusal for the publication, are also considered contract research.
  • Doctoral dissertations in the context of contract research can be problematic, as there is a risk that the company will not agree to the publication of the results, thus preventing the completion of the doctorate. This can only be avoided by appropriate contractually defined regulations.

Costing

  • A correct and legally compliant costing of the project at full cost or at "market prices" is extremely important to enable a smooth project execution and to exclude legal risks.
    Please do not conduct price negotiations with potential clients without first calculating the project costs!
  • The calculation must always include direct personnel costs and a profit of at least 5%. The prices are first calculated as net prices and the sales tax (more on this) is listed in a final step. If the corporate clients are from abroad, the reverse-charge procedure may apply. Please get in touch with us.
  • The calculation tables also include the additional rates that apply to your department.
  • The University retains 12.5% of the net amount as overhead. 
  • Be sure to use our current calculation template for the calculation. We’re happy to support you! | Download calculation procedure with instructions
  • The spreadsheet is for internal use only and may not be passed on to clients.

Market price determination

  • A service may alternatively be offered at the "market price."
  • This is only recommended if it is not lower than the calculated full costs. Therefore, we still advise you to carry out the calculation with the help of the spreadsheet first.
  • Corresponding offers (usually from three suppliers) must be documented to prove the market price. 

Offers

  • The offer is prepared on the basis of the calculation that is checked by AF.
  • The offer is issued by the University of Hohenheim. It must be signed both by the project manager and the legally binding signature of the President or his representative.   In addition, it must contain our General Terms and Conditions (GTCs).
  • It is possible that a research and development contract could be useful.
  • We’re happy to support you with all of these steps! 

Project implementation and recording time

  • After acceptance of the offer and the GTCs or after conclusion of a R+D contract, the work can be carried out. Please do not forget the third-party funding notification and attach the offer or the R+D contract including the calculation to it.
  • You are required to provide evidence of the working hours spent on the project by means of standardized time sheets. Please use the current project-related time sheet for this purpose.

Post-Calculation

  • After completion of the project, a post-calculation is carried out by the Third-Party Funding Management Unit (AW1), i.e. the calculated costs are compared with the actual costs incurred. This is necessary for reasons of statutory separation accounting.
  • Please make sure that you have all the necessary documents for this.
  • Upon completion of the post-calculation, the overhead rates less the university share of 12.5% of the total net costs and any deficits will be available to the department performing the work.