Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1986 [PAGE 516]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1986]

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

505

is sufficient to establish the department. If a department head is chosen from outside the unit, funding for the position would be provided by the College of Engineering. The chancellor at Urbana-Champaign and the vice president for academic affairs recommend approval. The University Senates Conference has indicated that no further senate jurisdiction is involved. I concur, subject to further action by the Illinois Board of Higher Education. O n m o t i o n of M r s . D a y , this r e c o m m e n d a t i o n w a s a p p r o v e d .

Agreement with Hughes Aircraft Company

(12) The Hughes Aircraft Company has offered to support research in the amount of $61,253 at the Coordinated Science Laboratory, Urbana, to be conducted by Professor Maria Ilic-Spong and Professor Jessy Grizzle. The work involves computer modeling of the dynamic performance of an existing DC-DC converter system developed and manufactured by Hughes. The results will be contained in a computer program to be developed by the University investigators which will be provided to Hughes for its further use. Hughes is concerned with the protection of its existing proprietary technology as embodied in the system to be studied. As a condition of its support, Hughes wishes to retain ownership of all patentable inventions pertaining to their DC-DC converter. It is unlikely that the planned University work will produce any patentable inventions, especially inventions within the field of design and operation of this Hughes equipment. Nevertheless, language is being proposed to address such a contingency, however remote. T h e proposed contract divides prospective inventions into two technical domains. For inventions within the field of Hughes' proprietary technology, the University will make no claim of ownership rights. Inventions outside the domain of Hughes' subject technology will be handled in accordance with the University's standard patent policy. The Coordinated Science Laboratory and the vice chancellor for research agree that the terms described above are acceptable in the present case. T h e University Patent Committee has recommended approval. I concur. O n m o t i o n of M r s . D a y , this r e c o m m e n d a t i o n w a s a p p r o v e d .

Assignment of Patent to Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

(13) The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) filed a patent application on the following invention on March 28, 1985. Bovine Placental Lactogen Gene — Walter F. Hurley (Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana) ; Linda A. Schuler, Jack Gorski, Robert D . Bremel (University of Wisconsin); Fritz Rottman (Case Western Reserve University) Professor Walter F. Hurley began work on this invention while on a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Wisconsin and has continued to do related research since taking a position at the University of Illinois in 1982. This invention has received support from multiple sources, including the University of Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station and the Federal government. WARF, through a recent review of the funding sources for this invention, became aware of Hurley's involvement as a coinventor and realized that the University of Illinois has an equity interest in this invention with the University of Wisconsin. WARF has proposed the following distribution of rights: 1. Because all inventors were once University of Wisconsin employees, WARF has filed the patent application. WARF proposes that it take assignment of the invention from all inventors, including Walter F. Hurley and the University of Illinois, and proceed in its efforts to obtain patent protection.