A nondisclosure agreement signed by President John Bardo limits what Wichita State employees can say about Innovation Campus projects.

In February of 2015, Wichita State, a public university; Wichita State Innovation Alliance, an affiliated 501c3; and Wichita State Innovation Alliance Investments Corporation, a for-profit corporation entered a nondisclosure agreement limiting what information each party can legally share about projects on Innovation Campus, according to documents recently obtained by The Sunflower.

“All information, whether written, oral, electronic or other form, disclosed, provided, or otherwise furnished by DISCLOSING PARTY to RECEIVING PARTY in connection with the PROJECT, including, but not limited to, the existence of discussions between parties … shall be deemed Confidential Information belonging to the DISCLOSING PARTY,” the agreement states.

The agreement says the university, the nonprofit, and the for-profit corporation desire to work together to “develop and implement approaches for identifying, developing, managing, licensing, commercializing, marketing, and/or improving technology or intellectual property generated within WSU, and/or in collaboration with industry and/or the public” and “leverage economic development opportunities” and “create jobs and growth in the Kansas economy through supporting innovation within WSU and/or in collaboration with industry and/or the public.”

In February, when a lease agreement between the nonprofit and a Koch family-funded private school on Wichita State’s main campus was announced through a Wichita Eagle article, the university said in a statement about the school that “when innovation partners are making a major investment on campus we let them shape how they want to make it public.”

The agreement was signed by President John Bardo on behalf of Wichita State, Vice President of Research and Tech Transfer John Tomblin on behalf of Innovation Alliance, and Executive Director of Governmental Relations Andy Schlapp on behalf of WSIA Investments Corporation on Feb. 5, 2015.

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Read the full agreement here: Nondisclosure agreement between WSU, WSIA, and WSIA-IC