Assignment is a one-off transfer of the IP rights, in return for a consideration - usually a lump sum. It is fundamentally different from a licence, in that the ownership of the IP changes hands, so the inventor and/or owner will have no further control over how the IP is used, licensed or protected.

For HEIs, this is often not the best approach, as it presents the serious difficultly of placing a cash value on (what is probably) early-stage technology, and it effectively 'divorces' the researchers (and their institution) from their invention or technology.