One of the goals of the University of Cape Coast, as set out in the research policy, is to encourage creativity and prompt and open dissemination of ideas and inventions by recognising and rewarding individual members of faculty, non-teaching staff and students. The commitment to develop new knowledge includes facilitating the practical application of that knowledge for public use. The University wishes to demonstrate that the public and private investments in funded research at UCC result in the creation of ideas and inventions that benefit society.

The University wishes to preserve the academic tradition of faculty ownership of certain scholarly works within the context of applicable law. The laws of Ghana provide that the University owns all intellectual property created or developed by an employee within the scope of his or her employment, including works developed under sponsored research or other agreements and works that make significant use of University funds or facilities. In seeking an appropriate balance between academic tradition and law, UCC’s Intellectual Property Policy recognises certain exceptions to the law that are well-established traditions in the academic setting.

The present Policy relates to the ownership, protection and commercial exploitation of Intellectual Property created by Researchers/Inventors/Innovators/Creators in the course of their duties or activities at the University. The document sets out the rules of the University for cooperation with industrial and business organisations and provides guidelines on the sharing of the economic benefits arising from the commercialisation of Intellectual Property.

The purpose of this Policy is to educate members of the University community about their rights and responsibilities regarding intellectual property. This Policy also describes the ways in which UCC faculty, non-teaching staff and students can protect the intellectual property that they create for their benefit as well as preserve the interests of the University and the public.

It is anticipated that this Policy will be augmented from time to time by statements of policy or practice that are focused on particular types of intellectual property, especially those arising out of new or evolving media or technology. Further, this Policy may be amended over time to effect changes deemed to be in the best interest of the University community.

This Policy aims to:

1. Promote, encourage and aid scientific investigation and research;
2. Provide legal certainty in research activities and technology-based relationships with third parties;
3. Set out the University’s procedures on the identification, ownership, protection and commercialisation of Intellectual Property;
4. Ensure timely and efficient protection and management of Intellectual Property;
5. Facilitate the recording, monitoring and maintenance of the University’s Intellectual Property portfolio;
6. Ensure that economic benefits arising from the commercialisation of Intellectual Property are distributed in a fair and equitable manner, recognising the contributions of the Inventors, the University as well as any other relevant stakeholders;
7. Enhance the reputation of the University as an academic research institution and the visibility of the researchers, creators and inventors.

In recognition of the foregoing, the University shall:

1. Recognise the right of faculty, non-teaching staff and students to publish their own research results and other scholarly information unless the principal investigator has agreed to restrictions in the agreements supporting such sponsored research.
2. Ensure that any individual who creates intellectual property should have a significant role in the determination of how such intellectual property will be registered, protected, enforced, monitored, publicised, commercialised or developed.
3. Permit faculty, non-teaching staff and student inventors/authors the freedom to place their inventions in the public domain if they believe that would be in the best interest of science or technology transfer and that doing so would not violate the terms of any agreement.
4. Provide patent, copyright, licensing, legal advice and technology transfer services to assist in the registration, enforcement, monitoring, protection, marketing and promotion of University-owned intellectual property.
5. Provide services for registering trademarks and service marks.
6. Provide the necessary financial resources for the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property, in appropriate cases.
7. Reward authors and inventors through sharing of royalties from inventions assigned to the University.
8. Reward Colleges, Faculties/Schools and Departments for creating productive research environments by sharing a portion of the royalties from inventions assigned to the University.

Subject to the approval of Council, the Finance Committee may recommend amendments, deletions and additions to the Regulations.

Stock Check

At the end of each financial year, the Head of Department/Section/Unit/Centre shall take an inventory of all assets under his/her control and ensure that the list of inventory agrees with the records in the Assets Register. This shall be certified by the Head of Department /Section/Unit/ Centre as correct and submitted to the Director of Finance not later than two weeks after the end of the financial year.

Recommendations for Write-off of Stocks

The Stock records submitted by a Department/ Section/Unit/Centre may include a recommendation that certain items that are unserviceable may be written off. On receiving a recommendation, the Director of Finance shall request the Registrar to convene a Board of Survey for the purpose of recommending the disposal of such unserviceable items.

Annual Stock-Taking

All sections of the University holding large stock of consumable and saleable items shall be expected to take stock at the end of every financial year and at such intermittent periods as may be considered necessary or directed by the Director of Finance. Such stock-taking exercise shall be carried out jointly by the Department/Section/Unit/Centre and a team of verifiers from the Directorate of Internal Audit and Directorate of Finance. On completion of the stock taking, the value of stock on hand at 31st December shall be certified by the Head of Department/Section/Unit/Centre. Original copies of certified stock-taking sheets shall be valued at cost or market value, whichever is less, and the method of valuation shall be consistent with the method employed in the previous year.

There shall be a Central Stores which shall be headed by Stores Superintendent with the following responsibilities:

1. Exercise supervision and control of all stores and staff

2. Carry out regular inspection of all stores and as the occasion arises, report to the Director of Finance or his/her representative on all cases of losses and irregularities

3. Ensure that accommodation is adequate and suitable for the proper storage of all stores

4. Compare from time to time physical stock and Cardex/Ledger balances particularly of articles of a perishable nature

5. Ensure that adequate fire-fighting appliances are installed at strategic points at the stores premises and maintained in good order.

6. Arrange for the boarding of all unserviceable store items and ensure that disposal instructions are obtained from the proper authority and carried out accordingly

7. Arrange for the periodic examination of scales and weights and measures to ensure that they are in good condition

8. Train Stores Assistants and other Junior Officers in storekeeping practices

9. Stock items in bulk which are supplied on request

10. Keep under lock and key the following documents when they are not in use:

    1. Combined Requisition and Issue Voucher (C R & I V).

    2. Stores Receipt Voucher

    3. Cardex

    4. Internal Requisition Voucher

    5. Transfer Issue Voucher

    6. Stores Requisition Form

    7. Tally Cards

    8. Daily Cards

    9. Daily Summary of Fuel Issue

    10. Staff Fuel Debit Book

    11. Stores Issues Voucher(Monthly Statement of Stores Supplies and Issues (MSSSI).

Overseas Supplies

1. On receipt of relevant shipping documents for overseas orders, the invoices shall be sorted out and copies given to Heads of Department/ Section/ Unit/ Centre who ordered the goods to enable them to check the goods on arrival.

2. On receipt of goods from the harbour, they shall be delivered to the Central Stores. Ordering Departments/Sections/Units/Centres shall open each package, check the contents and ensure that the items agree with those on the invoice in the presence of the Audit and the Head of Stores. They shall then sign the waybills and invoices, certifying them to be correct.

3. Immediately the items are received, they shall be recorded in the Departmental goods receipt book with all the particulars as to date of receipt, description, invoice number, source of supply and value. This book shall be subject to audit examination.

Control of Stock

In operating the unallocated stores system alongside direct purchases by Departments/Sections/Units/ Centres, the Head of Stores shall ensure that no excessive stocks are carried in the stores.

Maximum Stock in the Central Stores

At any particular time, the value of stocks in hand at the Central Stores shall not exceed a sum approved by the University from time to time. If this figure is exceeded, the Director of Finance shall call the Head of Stores' attention to this and ask for an explanation. Where it is found that certain items are surplus to requirements, steps shall be taken to dispose off such “unwanted items”.

Receipt and Issue of Stores

1. Purchases for Central Stores shall be made by the Procurement Unit on advice of the Head of Stores as to the items required. The Head of Stores shall issue a Purchase Request Form for the purchase. In ordering stores the Head of Stores shall consult the appropriate consumer Departments/Sections/Units /Centres

2. On receipt of the stores, the items shall be checked and inspected for quality before they are taken on charge by preparing a Stores Receipt Voucher which shall be submitted to the Director of Finance

3. All requests by Departments/Sections/ Units/Centres for stores shall be submitted to the Central Stores on Combined Requisition and Issue Voucher [CR& IV] forms signed by the Head of Department/Section/Unit/Centre concerned and stating the work for which the stores are required. The CR & IV shall then be sent to the Directorate of Internal Audit for pre-auditing and then to the Estimates Sections in the Directorate of Finance for Commitment

4. After registration of the requisition by the Storekeeper, the Combined Requisition and Issue Voucher shall be taken to the Head of Stores or his/her assistant who shall authorise the issue by initialling it

5. On presentation of the CR & IV to the Storekeeper, the stores shall be issued and the quantities entered by the Storekeeper in words for the officer collecting the stores to sign in the column provided. The first three copies of the voucher shall then be detached leaving the quadruplicate copy in the book to serve as a waybill

6. The Storekeeper, after making the necessary entries on his or her tally cards, shall return the voucher to the Stores Officer where the clerk-in-charge of the stores ledgers will price and pass it to the next officer for extension. This officer shall in turn pass on the voucher for checking before the goods are issued. The triplicate copy which serves as an invoice shall be sent to the requisitioning officer, while the duplicate copy shall be used by the Stores Accounts Office for preparation of monthly statements and to support entries on the ledgers and tally cards.

Low Stock Advice

The Storekeepers shall at the end of each week examine their tally cards and submit Low Stock Advice to the Head of Stores in respect of items that have reached or fallen below the minimum stock level for replenishment.

Advice on Issues to Departments/Sections/Units/Centres

At the end of each month, and not later than the middle of the following month, Stores Section shall issue a Statement of Stores Issued to Departments/Sections/Units/Centres with copies to the Directorate of Finance. On receipts of such statement, Heads of Department/Section/Unit/Centre shall record the issue in their votes register if they have not already done so.