Terms and conditions

As part of its management of Vitae (the national organisation championing the personal, professional and career development of doctoral researchers and research staff in higher education institutions and research institutes), CRAC: The Career Development Organisation ("CRAC") is seeking to attract and develop new ideas for supporting the personal, professional and career development of UK researchers.

We would like to invite proposals to be submitted through this website (www.vitae.ac.uk), our intention being to enable ideas to be developed into programmes and projects, funded by Vitae, for the benefit of UK researchers. The Website allows you to submit bids for funding to CRAC, whether on your own or in collaboration with other parties.

Submissions of bids for funding through the Website are subject to the terms and conditions set out below, and, if your bid is selected, to a full form agreement between us. In addition, your use of the Website is governed by the general terms and conditions of use.[AXC1] 

1. Submission of ideas

1.1      CRAC welcomes your ideas and proposals and shall treat those ideas and proposals as confidential, and take appropriate measures to protect any confidential information submitted to us.
1.2      However, you acknowledge that all ideas and proposals are submitted at your own risk and CRAC cannot accept any responsibility or liability (other than liability that cannot, as a matter of law, be excluded) for any loss resulting to you arising from the use or loss of ideas, data or information submitted by you including any loss of business or opportunity or loss of profit, particularly in the event that your idea or proposal is not accepted. You acknowledge that not every idea can be supported by CRAC.
1.3      The provision of any personal information by you and the use of it by CRAC is subject to CRAC's Privacy Policy[AXC2], which is incorporated in these terms and conditions of use.

2. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

2.1      Where any materials or content that you submit are protected by intellectual property rights (such as copyright) it is your responsibility to make it clear that such materials or content are so protected. You accept that by submitting such materials you grant to CRAC a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use and publish all such materials (or any part of it), which may be edited, cropped or otherwise modified by CRAC in any way and at any time and in any media, for the purposes of developing programmes that support the professional and career development of researchers. 
2.2      You or the IPR owner shall, however, remain the owner of the IPR in any such content and shall be free to republish it wherever you or the owner so wish.

3. Award of funding

CRAC (as the legal contract holder of Vitae), may, at its absolute discretion and with the guidance of the Vitae Innovation advisory panel, award funding to any party ("the Bidder") who submits an idea that CRAC believes is worth supporting. The award of any funding shall be subject to CRAC's approval (which it shall be entitled to give at its own discretion) and CRAC and the Bidder entering a legal contract, the main terms of which shall be as follows:

• an undertaking from the Bidder that the ideas, programmes and materials developed shall be primarily for the benefit of researchers working at UK higher education institutions. For clarity, under these terms and conditions researchers shall include postgraduate research students (i.e. unpaid roles);
• any intellectual property rights arising in the programmes and materials developed from the use of the funding shall vest in and be owned by the Bidder;
• CRAC and EPSRC shall be entitled to a non-exclusive licence to use the intellectual property rights for any purpose connected to the Vitae programme or for supporting the professional and career development of researchers;
• obligations to consult and liaise with CRAC in the development and use of the ideas or proposals; and
• standard representations, undertakings and indemnities, as will be outlined in further detail in the funding agreement.

4. Severability

In the event that any term of these Terms & Conditions is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remainder of these Terms & Conditions shall remain valid and enforceable.

5. Variation of these Terms & Conditions of Use

CRAC reserves the right to vary these Terms & Conditions from time to time. Such variations shall become effective immediately upon the posting of the varied Terms & Conditions on the website. By continuing to use the website, and by submitting your ideas and proposals, you will be deemed to accept such variations and agree to abide by the Terms and Conditions as posted on the website.

6. General

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions shall restrict or exclude any liability that we have to any party which cannot be excluded by law and in particular, and notwithstanding any term of these Terms & Conditions, our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence shall not be limited or excluded in any way.

These Terms & Conditions of Use shall be governed by English law and the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

7. Contacting us

Should you have any questions regarding the submission of ideas, the funding allocation process, or any other concerns, please contact:

Duncan Mann
Senior Manager Provision and Practice, Vitae
duncan.mann@vitae.ac.uk
The Careers Research and Development Organisation
Sheraton House
Castle Park
Cambridge
CB3 0AX