JISC

Do you provide services to the business or wider community?  If so, JISC Legal could help you with the legal issues. 

Business and Community Engagement (BCE) is an area of activity in further and higher education which aims to enhance the contribution of FE and HE institutions to business and wider social communities through knowledge transfer and expertise. 

Also known as ‘Third Stream’ on the basis that it refers to a third element of an institution’s mission together with teaching and research, activities can include the provision of consultancy or research services, research and development, and community education and outreach courses. 

All such activities raise various legal issues which all institutions, as providers, need to be aware of.  For instance, who owns copyright in the material which is being used for the activity and to what extent could it be used for commercial purposes?  Are there any legal issues in using Web 2.0 media? Is the institution’s website e-commerce compliant? Can the institution rely on any FOI exemptions to protect its own commercial interest?

JISC Legal has dedicated a section of its website to BCE which will feature guidance on legal issues, with case studies illustrating how these issues arise in practice. In addition, the website will offer a helpdesk facility making it possible to address, on a one-to-one basis, specific areas of concern.   

JISC Legal will also be holding a webcast on the 18th July 2007 on ‘BCE – The Legal Issues’. Details of the webcast will be posted on the website shortly. 

For further information on BCE, please go to: BCE.