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Material Transfer Agreements (MTA)

Biological materials (such as clones, plasmids, hybridomas and DNA fragments) are often exchanged between academic institutions and with commercial entities. Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) define the legal rights of the entity donating the material as well as the recipient with respect to the material and any derivatives.

Notre Dame's Office of Research is responsible for the negotiation and review of MTAs to ensure conformity with institutional policies and proper handling of intellectual property rights. University researchers who plan to exchange materials with outside entities should contact the Office of Research for assistance in preparing and executing these documents.

MATERIALS COMING INTO THE UNIVERSITY
Generally, transfers between academic institutions are fairly straightforward, as Notre Dame and most other institutions are signatories to the Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA), which provides standard terms for material transfers. Copies of the UBMTA may be obtained from the Office of Research.

Transfers involving commercial entities will generally require case-specific review of any documents to ensure that the University's and the faculty member's interests are adequately protected.

MATERIALS LEAVING THE UNIVERSITY
Companies wishing to obtain materials from Notre Dame, or faculty members wishing to transfer materials to commercial entities, should contact the Office of Research to initiate the necessary documents.

Faculty members wishing to transfer materials to another academic institution may obtain simple UBMTA letter agreements from the Office of Research to facilitate the movement.

If you have any questions, please call Greg Luttrell at 631-2857 or Luttrell.1@nd.edu.

Date last reviewed April 2007