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MSD Commercial Activity

Guidance for MSD Departments on Commercial Activity (External Trading)

For many years the University’s non-primary purpose ('Activity 25') activity was managed through the subsidiary Oxford University Trading (OUT). Following the closure of OUT, most non-primary purpose (NPP) trading will be moved to trading subsidiaries.

This webpage provides guidance for MSD departments on the processes that they should now follow for all new commercial activity that arises within their departments, including activity that they are considering carrying out via Oxford University Innovation (OUI).

Scope

For the purposes of this guidance commercial activity refers to all trading activity with external parties, including both primary purpose and non-primary purpose activities (as defined below):

  • ‘primary purpose’ (PP): the activity directly furthers the University’s charitable purpose of ‘the advancement of learning by teaching and research and its dissemination by every means for public benefit’ or is ancillary to primary purpose activity; or
  • ‘non-primary purpose’ (NPP): the activity does not further the University’s charitable purposes but is undertaken to generate income. Departments are asked to flag non-primary purpose activity as ‘Activity 25’ in the Oracle Financial System.

Primary purpose activities that meet the Frascati definition of research are not within the scope of this guidance and departments should follow existing departmental and University processes.

Guidance

Following the closure of OUT, the Medical Sciences Division has:

  • Established Medical Sciences Commercial Services Limited (MS Commercial) as a wholly-owned divisional trading subsidiary to allow MSD departments to carry out NPP activities.
  • Established MSD Commercial Services Sub-Committee (MSD CSSC) to provide oversight of all trading activities, both PP and NPP, within the Division and to advise the Division and departments on risk management, strategy, and support for these activities.

Guidance on the process that MSD departments should now follow for new commercial activity can be found below, alongside links to relevant information and resources to guide departmental decision making: