Grenoble INP Rubrique Recherche 2022

Deliverable

A research project is punctuated by milestones marking the achievement of key stages. Milestones can be, for example, the end of a critical review of the state of the art, the finalisation of a concept demonstrator or the approval of an experimental evaluation protocol... The laboratory that has the task of carrying out the research work undertakes to record these advances in deliverables and to provide them to the partner by a defined deadline. The delivery date generally corresponds to the closing date of the research phase and triggers an invoicing milestone.

A deliverable can take two forms:
  • The physical deliverable: a device such as a demonstrator/prototype, a product sample from one or more material(s), a diagram, a plan, etc.
  • The digital deliverable: a progress report, a digital model, an algorithm, software, etc.

In order to ensure the smooth running of the project, the deliverables expected must be precisely defined between the project partners. In order to secure the contractual relationship, they must be set out in writing in the scientific and technical appendix. The more precise the description of the expected deliverable, the less confusion there will be about  partners' and the researcher's expectations in the project results. The description of a deliverable is therefore a delicate exercise that requires several exchanges between the partners and the researcher. DRIVE will assist you in this crucial specification which will commit you for the duration of the project.

Deliverables ownership and dissemination  are carefully specified in the contract that frames the collaboration between the parties... In general :
  • For research services, which are generally of short duration, the deliverable is unique. The institution, through the laboratory, commits itself to obtaining results. The results of the study contained in the deliverable will be the client's property (provided the client bears the full cost of the service). The laboratory must therefore have all the knowledge and expertise prior to the service in order to ensure that the results requested are obtained. Any intellectual property rights attached to the results contained in the deliverables are also the partner's property. The research laboratory will not be able to re-use it in another project with another partner. The dissemination of the deliverable will generally be subject to confidentiality. It is rare to see publication clauses in service contracts. It should be noted here that if the laboratory's own knowledge is used to achieve the result of the service, this own knowledge remains the property of the laboratory. This own knowledge must be mentioned in the service contract.
  • For research contracts that extend over longer periods (a few months to a few years, such as the supervision of a thesis or a post-doc, etc.), there may be several deliverables that correspond to the progress of the research project. The ownership of the deliverable(s) will be subject to the intellectual property rules defined in the contract. In general, as the cost of the research is shared, the research results are co-owned with the industrial partner. The rules of confidentiality and publication of the research results contained in the deliverables are specified in the research contract. As in the service, the laboratory's own knowledge that may be used to obtain the research results remains the property of the Institution and will be specified in the contract.

Example - Expected deliverables and timetable:

Expected deliverables and timetables

 
  • D1 (document): state of the art
  • D2 (document): specifications
  • D3 (document): thesis and annexed publications
  • C1 (code): source code
  • C2 (code): source code

Written by Stéphane Fiorillo, Gaelle Calvary, Isabelle Chery and Stéphanie Walcker