Academic and Industry Agreements

If you’re an OHSU employee who needs to establish any of the agreements below, please contact OHSU Technology Transfer at mta@ohsu.edu or call our main phone line at 503-494-8200. If you're an OHSU employee looking to disclose a new technology, visit the OHSU Innovators or contacttechmgmt@ohsu.edu.

If you're interested in starting a collaboration or partnership with OHSU, visit the Collaborations page. 

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)

A Material Transfer Agreement is an agreement between organizations, which protects ownership rights for material being provided by a scientist or laboratory at one organization (the provider) to a scientist or lab at another organization (the recipient).

MTAs are required by most academic institutions and commercial entities to protect the intellectual property and ownership rights for shared research materials. Material transfer agreements also protect academic rights and freedoms – such as the freedom to pursue a research topic and right to publish results – for the researcher and party providing the material as well as those receiving the research material.

Information needed to complete an MTA includes:

  • Scope of work and/or description of purpose
  • Materials list
  • Draft agreement (OHSU template or other party template; can be provided by OHSU Technology Transfer)
  • Funding source(s)
  • Contact information for other party — investigator or legal/business development
  • Compliance verification — IRB, IACUC, and IBC

Why would I need a MTA to send out or bring in materials?
MTAs are required by most academic and commercial entities’ policies to protect intellectual property and ownership rights for shared research materials. MTAs also protect academic rights and freedoms – such as the freedom to pursue a research topic and right to publish results – for the researcher and institute providing the material as well as those receiving the research material. 

What do I do if I need materials from another institution?
After you make a request for material, you may be asked to complete a MTA by the other institution. It is the responsibility of the institution where the material originates to provide a MTA. 

What do I do with a MTA that is received from another university/company?    
MTAs that you receive from other parties are managed through OHSU Technology Transfer. Please send the MTA to mta@ohsu.edu and an agreements manager assigned to your department will get in touch with you. 

Can I sign a MTA that I receive and send it back to the university/company?
MTAs must be signed by an authorized official in OHSU Technology Transfer, as the legal representative for OHSU. Most MTAs may require a signature from the principal investigator or head of the lab that is requesting the material. This signature signifies that the principal investigator has read and understands the terms of the agreement. 

How long will it take to process my MTA?
All reasonable efforts are made to keep the amount of time to a minimum to complete every MTA. The amount of time for completing any MTA will vary depending on the number of MTAs in process at the time yours is initiated, the response time for the other party and the need for negotiating provisions in the agreement.

Can I share materials I receive under a MTA with my colleague at OHSU or another institution?    
Whether or not material not developed at OHSU can be shared with other laboratories will depend on the MTA under which the material was obtained. Most MTAs require that the material provided is not shared with other laboratories, including other labs at OHSU. Refer to the MTA that was completed for the material in question to determine if the material can be shared.

Contact us at mta@ohsu.edu for any questions regarding MTAs at OHSU.

Industry-Sponsored Research Agreement (SRA)

An Industry-Sponsored Research Agreement (SRA) is a contract through which an industry partner funds an OHSU-initiated research project.

SRAs cover projects funded by industry and must be consistent with and support the academic, research and/or healthcare mission of OHSU. SRAs typically govern the scope of work, budget, payment obligations and timing, options to license any intellectual property arising from completion of the research, publication of results, and other important items to complete a research project. The process for developing a SRA may be brief or lengthy, depending on the complexity of the program to be sponsored and what the sponsor expects in exchange for its support.

Information needed to complete an SRA includes:

  • Scope of work and/or description of purpose
  • Materials list
  • Draft agreement (OHSU template or other party template; can be provided by OHSU Technology Transfer)
  • Funding source(s)
  • Contact information for other party — investigator or legal/business development
  • Compliance verification — IRB, IACUC, and IBC
  • Internal budget (including list of personnel and indirect cost rate)
  • External industry budget

Contact mta@ohsu.edu for a Proposed Project Questionnaire to provide the above information.

OHSU Technology Transfer is the pre-award office for industry-sponsored pre-clinical research agreements. For questions regarding post-award processes including account set-up and distribution of funds, please contact the Office of Proposal and Award Management (OPAM).

What is a sponsored research agreement?
A sponsored research agreement is a contract between OHSU and a for profit sponsor for the purposes of funding and conducting research at OHSU.

What are the terms that are typically covered in a sponsored research agreement?
Sponsored research agreements typically include terms governing the following: scope of work, budget, payment obligations and timing, options to license any intellectual property arising from the research, publication of results, confidentiality, and other important items to complete the research and/or contract.

How long will it take to process my sponsored research agreement?
The process for developing a sponsored research agreement may be short or lengthy, depending on the complexity of the program to be sponsored and what the sponsor expects in return for their support. Some factors include:
    • How quickly company representatives respond;
    • How complex of an agreement the company requires; and
    • Completion of OHSU regulatory requirements (i.e., IRB, IACUC, CoIR). 
Agreements managers in OHSU Technology Transfer may be able to offer guidance that will avoid some delays if they are made aware of the potential for sponsored research at early stages of discussion between researchers and company representatives.

How do I prepare a budget for a sponsored research agreement?
Your department’s fiscal manager should be able to help/guide you with budget preparation for the sponsored research agreement. 

Do I have to fill out a Proposed Project Questionnaire (PPQ) for a sponsored research agreement?
Yes, it is absolutely important that a PPQ be completed prior to the execution of a sponsored research agreement. Please note that a PPQ will also provide guidance for other requirements such as compliance with IRB, IACUC and IBC protocols. Please email mta@ohsu.edu for more information about PPQ's.

What are OHSU's current indirect Facilities and Administrative (F&A) cost rates?
Please refer to the current indirect costs rate or facilities and administration costs (F&A) on O2.

What if I am not able to complete the research within the intended time?
If a sponsor agrees, the term of the sponsored research agreement can be extended to allow completion of the research project. In such a situation, OHSU Technology Transfer negotiates an amendment or a no-cost extension to a sponsored research agreement with the sponsor.

Contact us at mta@ohsu.edu for any questions regarding sponsored research agreements at OHSU. 

Other agreements

A Research Service Agreement (RSA) is a contract through which an industry partner funds an industry-initiated research project at OHSU.

RSAs are often used for projects that involve the testing or evaluation of the sponsoring industry's proprietary new therapy, compound, diagnostic or device in a preclinical model. Typically the scope of work is entirely designed by the sponsor.

Information needed to complete an RSA includes:

  • Scope of work and/or description of purpose
  • Materials list
  • Draft agreement (OHSU template or other party template; can be provided by OHSU Technology Transfer)
  • Funding source(s)
  • Contact information for other party — investigator or legal/business development
  • Compliance verification — IRB, IACUC, and IBC
  • Internal budget (including list of personnel and indirect cost rate)
  • External industry budget

A Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) is a contract covering a collaborative research effort between OHSU and another organization.

RCAs are a framework for how a collaboration or partnership is to proceed between two or more parties, what each party is responsible for under a scope of work, how materials and data are to be shared, what the publication rights of each party may be, and other aspects including how new intellectual property that may arise from the scope of work will be managed.

Information needed to complete an RCA includes:

  • Scope of work and/or description of purpose
  • Materials list
  • Draft agreement (OHSU template or other party template; can be provided by OHSU Technology Transfer)
  • Funding source(s)
  • Contact information for other party — investigator or legal/business development
  • Compliance verification — IRB, IACUC, and IBC

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) is a contract between two or more parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties (one or both) wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to, or by, other parties. The NDA is synonymous with a Confidentiality Agreement or Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA).

Information needed to complete an NDA includes:

  • Scope of work and/or description of purpose
  • Contact information for other party — investigator or legal/business development
  • Proposed date of discussions

OHSU is not responsible for negotiating or reviewing Consulting Agreements on behalf of OHSU faculty and staff. Consulting guidelines are covered in the Outside Activity/Outside Compensation portion of the Conflicts of Interest and Commitment policy.

For additional information, visit the Conflicts of interest & commitment table of contents page on O2. (Note: requires OHSU sign in)

Faculty are also advised that personal consulting agreements may result in conflict of interest situations with their university employment and, as such, must be disclosed to their respective Department Chair.

OHSU Technology Transfer recommends adding the following statement to any consulting agreement that you enter into: "Consultant is an employee of Oregon Health & Science University and has responsibilities and research projects resulting from their activities as such an employee. Not withstanding any other provisions in this Agreement, the Company shall not have any rights to any work product, intellectual property and/or other works or materials created by Consultant as a result of employment with Oregon Health & Science University."