Credit and IP rights of a student researcher
Undergraduate Student C attends an industry conference and notices that several speakers mention a need for research in a particular area. Student C does a literature review and notes that there is indeed a gap in the research. Student C devises a methodology to study the issue, and then recruits several Really Big Names in the industry to form a research team to study the issue. Student C also recruits a prominent local agency to provide subjects for the study. As Student C has grantwriting experience, she recruits other SMEs in related disciplines to fill out the team, all in preparation for her submission of a proposal for government funding.
Really Big Name A has contacts at Prestigious Universities Y and Z. Both Y and Z ask to be involved in what Student C now realizes is a Hot Topic. Really Big Name A mentions that Professor D thinks that Student C will be unable to publish her findings, so he offers that maybe she could be a co-author or “something like that”. He also thinks that Student C should not be on the primary research team (Really Big Names A - E all support Student C’s submission as the Co-Principal Investigator), but could serve in some “other” undisclosed capacity.
Student C anticipates that several commercial products will be created from the research, beginning in Years 3 and beyond. Student C also anticipates additional research issues — some offshoots of the current proposal and some that would be separate, but related, issues — that could be developed into new proposals as well. Student C’s questions are:
a) Student C has been able to recruit each of the Really Big Names because they immediately recognize how important this research is to industry. It will make whoever is able to claim credit for it very famous in the industry and highly sought after for future employment. As developer of the study, how does Student C keep prominent professors from Y and Z from claiming this credit as their own?
b) Prestigious Universities Y and Z have capacities that strongly complement each other. These would be of substantial value to the project. Since Really Big Name A wants both to be involved, how should Student C procede to be fair to everyone?
Any advice for Student C would be greatly appreciated.