Memorandum of Agreement Between The New York State Department of Health and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Memorandum Objectives of the Center Governance Of The Center Center Resources And Staff Institutional Interactions Signed

The New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Rensselaer) hereby jointly establish the

BIOINFORMATICS CENTER.

Bioinformatics is an emerging discipline encompassing collection, management and analysis of the wealth of genome sequence and related data generated by biomedical research. Computationally intensive statistical approaches extract meaning from these data and help solve myriad biological and biomedical research problems. top

OBJECTIVES OF THE CENTER

The Center manages a jointly administered program of collaborative research and training, which shall have the following objectives:

- to combine and reinforce the strengths of Rensselaer in engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, and the physical and life sciences, with the strong base in experimental and computational biomedical research of the Wadsworth Center (Wadsworth) located within the DOH,

- to establish linked, high-technology facilities at Wadsworth and Rensselaer that integrate capabilities for high performance computing, algorithm/software development, and training in the tools of computational biology, including space and resources for interactive learning, scientists-in-residence and teleconferencing;

- to pursue an aggressive joint research program in bioinformatics that includes computationally based parallel experimentation, with an initial primary focus on the theme of the regulation of gene expression;

- to create synergy among groups of investigators from both institutions in complementary fields (e.g., statistics, computer science, engineering, molecular biology), and stimulate research and training across a wide range of disciplines;

- to increase the availability in the Capital Region of external funding for scientific research, through joint applications for research funds with a focus on program projects and center grants;

- to collaborate in recruitment of scientific researchers and faculty, especially established investigators, including joint appointments as appropriate;

- to promote education and training of graduate students and postdoctoral trainees in bioinformatics and computational biology;

- to facilitate practical application of bioinformatics to development of new therapeutic and diagnostic products, by encouraging collaborative projects with industry and fostering entrepreneurship among faculty and staff. top

GOVERNANCE OF THE CENTER

The Center shall be administered by an executive director and a scientific director, to be appointed by mutual agreement between and reporting to the director of Wadsworth and the vice president for research at Rensselaer. The executive director shall be responsible for administering the Center, including, but not limited to management, fiscal planning and recruitment functions. The scientific director shall be responsible for defining and implementing the Center's research agenda. Together, the directors shall be responsible for establishing inter-institutional communications critical to success of the collaborative venture, ensuring that both institutions play an equal role in decisions affecting the Center. The directors shall be assisted in their tasks by an executive board whose members represent the major fields of scientific and technological endeavor within the Center. The executive board shall be comprised of the executive director, who shall act as chair, the scientific director and six to eight affiliated investigators, with an equal number appointed by each institution. The executive director shall establish such committees from the faculty and staff of each institution as deemed appropriate to manage the Center's activities. The chairs of these committees shall be members of the executive board.

An external advisory board shall be established by the executive board consisting of representatives from science, industry and government, whose role shall be to evaluate the Center's progress, recommend new opportunities and directions, and assist in recruitment and related activities. top

CENTER RESOURCES AND STAFF

The Center shall have high-performance computing facilities in place at both institutions, with principal investigators and support staff on-site. The two facilities shall be linked for collaborative research and teleconferencing through the Internet2. In addition, a regional network of affiliated investigators from Wadsworth, Rensselaer and other institutions shall be established. Affiliated investigators shall be experts in one or more of the relevant disciplines (e.g., statistics, computer science, engineering, molecular biology) and shall interact with Center staff in areas of mutual interest.

Rensselaer faculty affiliated with the Center shall have access to Wadsworth bioinformatics, computational and library facilities, and shall qualify for part-time employment at Wadsworth provided adequate funding is available. Wadsworth research scientists affiliated with the Center shall have access to Rensselaer bioinformatics, computational and library facilities, and may be appointed to adjunct or research faculty titles at Rensselaer. top

INSTITUTIONAL INTERACTIONS

The member institutions shall coordinate sponsored projects involving the Center through the executive board. Joint projects (i.e., projects submitted jointly for approval through the Center and involving activities at both institutions) shall be administered in accordance with the policies and procedures of each institution. The institutions shall collaborate to ensure appropriate distribution of funds, including indirect costs.

It is understood that Wadsworth and Rensselaer retain complete control of, responsibility for and liability for all actions of their respective employees, including participation of those employees in projects conducted under this memorandum of agreement (MOA).

Ownership of intellectual property in inventions or discoveries arising from Center activities shall be assigned as follows: (i) if the inventor or inventors are solely the employees of one institution, then ownership of the invention shall reside in the employing institution; (ii) if the inventor or inventors are joint employees of member institutions, then rights shall be divided according to mutual agreement between the employers of the inventor(s) applying factors appropriate to the individual situation; (iii) otherwise, ownership will be determined based upon relative contributions of each inventor, to be determined by a jointly selected patent attorney in the event the institutions cannot come to agreement. This MOA shall not be deemed to affect each institution's sole authority with respect to use and protection of its own trademarks, nor does this MOA constitute a license by Wadsworth or Rensselaer to any institution or person to use their corporate names, logos or marks.

Technology transfers arising from Center activities shall be handled: (i) by the institution that employs a sole inventor or inventors; (ii) by the institution determined to have the highest proportion of ownership, if the inventor or inventors are joint employees of member institutions; or (iii) otherwise, by the institution with the highest proportion of ownership interest, with participation of the other institution or institutions through a separate written agreement. top

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