Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)

    What is a Material Transfer Agreement?

    A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a legal contract to document the transfer of physical material between Yale University and academic, non-profit, or industrial institutions. MTAs are used primarily to document the transfer of biological materials (plasmids, cell lines, mouse strains, etc.), but also may be used in the transfer of some types of non-biological material. Any Yale faculty member must ensure that an MTA is in place prior to receiving or sending the Material.

    How to initiate the Agreement? (Submitter)

    Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) are entered through the Agreements module in IRES (InfoEd).

    To enter an Agreement, you will need:

    1. A copy of the draft agreement,
    2. The correspondence you’ve had with the sponsor,
    3. Sponsor contact information for the person(s) that OSP should work with – minimally, the name and email address, and
    4. Any other documentation that is available for the agreement.

    NOTE: Outgoing MTAs that provide Yale materials to commercial and for-profit institutions are negotiated by Yale Ventures. Inquiries should be addressed to OCR@yale.edu, or call Yale Ventures at 203-436-8096 (Central Campus) or 203-785-6209 (School of Medicine).

    NOTE: MTAs are not valid unless signed by an authorized representative from OSP or OCR.

    NOTE: If you’re not sure whether the draft agreement that you have will be considered a Material Transfer Agreement or not, email your usual contracts contact at OSP directly with a copy of the draft agreement. OSP will provide guidance on how to enter the document in IRES to minimize the possibility of rework, particularly while different agreement types are coming online.

    Step-by-step guide on how to enter an Agreement

    To put an MTA in place, use the applicable link:

    For questions, please contact: MTAs@yale.edu.

    MTAs are important because they define the parameters under which material may be used. MTAs include terms related to permitted purpose and length of time for use of the material, confidentiality of material, publication of results, ownership of intellectual property, and warranty and liability. MTAs protect both the Researcher’s and Yale’s interests and the ability to conduct future research related to the material. It is important to ensure that the Provider does not include terms that may restrict the Researcher’s academic freedom, assert undue rights of ownership of discoveries, or use indemnification language that may put the University at risk. Any unacceptable terms are removed through negotiation between the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and the Provider.

    More information on Yale’s policy regarding terms in incoming MTAs.