Research@UIC >Material Transfer Office

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)

Introduction | Procedures

INTRODUCTION

A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract covering the exchange of Materials between the University and outside entities, and must be signed by the Board of Trustees of the University. As such, the MTA must be reviewed by either the Office of Research Services (ORS) or the Office of Technology Management (OTM). This rule applies whether it is an incoming MTA (UIC is the recipient of the Material) or if it is an outgoing MTA (UIC is the provider of the Material). There are specific procedures to be followed in each case and are listed below. Should you have questions about an MTA or how to process one, please contact, Patti Pfister, Assistant Director, ORS.

PROCEDURES

Incoming MTA | Outgoing MTA

Procedures to be used for an INCOMING MTA

1. Required documents are:
   · A completed Proposal Approval Form (a PAF which is signed only by the PI)*
   · A completed Disclosure of Intellectual Property and Publication Rights in MTA form*
   · The original Material Transfer Agreement signed by the PI, when required by a sponsor (the PI’s signature would be indicated via a signature line provided by the sponsor). The PI should sign when the forms are dropped off at ORS for processing. This will alleviate additional time being lost to obtaining signature once the document has been reviewed and approved.
   
   * Both forms are available on line, may be completed online.

2. Submit these forms to the Office of Research Services (ORS), Room 304 AOB, as you would any other proposal.

3. Obtain the Institutional Number assigned to this proposal prior to leaving ORS. This number will be required for any inquiry made on this proposal.

4. ORS (with OTM’s input, if needed) will review and negotiate any parts of the MTA that are not acceptable to the University (such as intellectual property rights clauses) and ORS may require the PI’s input in these negotiations.

5. ORS will inform the PI when the MTA is completed and signed by [the Board of Trustees] [both parties]. The signed MTA will be returned to the provider by either ORS or OTM.

Procedures to be used for an OUTGOING MTA

1. When one receives a request to provide Materials to someone outside the University, forward to them one of UIC’s standard MTA forms available from this site. If the requester is another university and there is no intellectual property information to protect, then the simple letter agreement should be used. If it is to another university FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY and there is proprietary information to protect (either patented or unpatented) use the “UIC Material Transfer Agreement.” Finally, for Material being sent to any entity other than a University, use the “University Private Sector Material Transfer Agreement.” The different forms are necessary to preserve the researcher’s freedom to operate, and to protect any rights the PI and the University may have in the Materials.

2. For approval, ORS will need the a completed Proposal Approval Form which is signed only by the PI, the appropriate MTA signed by the other party and a completed “Disclosure of Intellectual Property and Publication Rights in MTA” form, available on this web site. This form requires either

   1. a signed statement that there are no patent or invention disclosures made or pending with respect to the Material being transferred, or

   2. an identification of the applicable OTM disclosure(s) numbers. If there is proprietary Material that has not been disclosed, a disclosure to the OTM will be required before the MTA forms can be signed by the University.

3. Submit these forms to the Office of Research Services (ORS), Room 304 AOB, as you would any other proposal.

4. Documents will be reviewed, negotiated, approved and signed on behalf of the University.

5. Once the documents have been signed by both parties, a copy will be returned to the originating PI. The PI may then forward Material to the requester.

Last updated: Thursday, January 04, 2007.