Contract research: tailor-made collaboration to benefit your business

A contract research project is fully funded by the partner company or organisation. A company-funded project allows for more flexibility in addressing company-specific needs than a co-funded project, and the IPR generated in a contract research project will be owned by the partner company.

The best results are achieved when the topic of the commissioned research project is closely linked to the university's other research and strategic areas of expertise. In most cases, these projects also aim to produce academic outputs, such as publications or theses, which are always in the public domain. However, the modalities and content of publications and their preparation can be agreed with the commissioner on a case-by-case basis and there are well-established procedures in place.

The company can also apply for support for the project, for example from Business Finland or the EU.

Examples of contract research projects

Commissioned contract research can include, for example,

• Experimental research
• Expert opinions and studies
• Testing services
• Doctoral thesis projects
• Master's thesis projects
• Customized student business projects 

How to start a contract research project?

The client company defines the scope and objectives of the work. If necessary, the Corporate Relations team will identify the best experts and forms of collaboration for your needs from the University's wide pool of experts. Aalto's academic experts will help to frame the research challenge and assess the feasibility of the work in terms of available resources and academic interests.

The project plan is developed jointly. The project agreement will include all relevant details such as intellectual property rights (IPR), publication of results, budget and schedule. Part or all of the research can also be carried out on company premises.

Please note that if the project requires the university to recruit new staff, it may take several months to start the project.

If your company is interested in tailored problem-solving or longer-term research collaboration, but you do not know how to proceed, please contact the Corporate Relations team at Aalto University.