University of Waterloo has long been known for researchers who are entrepreneurial thinkers and industry partners.
At the core of entrepreneurship is Intellectual Property (IP) Rights Policy #73, also called "creator-owned," which grants ownership to the inventor. It's the engine for driving commercialization success of research-based innovations and may be the most entrepreneurial oriented IP policy in North America.
Waterloo embraces the philosophy that providing incentive through IP ownership is the best motivator to ensure that commercialization of research provides broad societal and economic benefit. The policy is a feature in attracting entrepreneurial oriented faculty and graduate students who want to engage in commercial enterprise (i.e., through contract research and licensing opportunities with industry or independently with their own research outcomes).
The policy and the university's entrepreneurial culture has positioned Waterloo as a national leader in the transfer of ideas and technology to the private sector.