Technology Transfer

Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) are formal agreements (i.e., contracts) between a supplier and an institution to enable the use of research materials (e.g., data, organisms, human tissue, biological, or chemical materials). MTAs govern the use of transferred material, are necessary to advance academic research, and protect the rights of both the provider and recipient. 

Only faculty may be listed as the providing/recipient scientist on an agreement. Students, working in conjunction with faculty, may submit a checklist form on behalf of a Principal Investigator (PI), but may not submit a checklist form independently.

Faculty, or a proxy acting on their behalf (e.g., grad students, research assistants, post-doctoral associates, lab staff) must submit an Internal MTA Checklist and have a fully executed MTA in place before sending materials to another institution or receiving materials outside UToledo. Please note, when completing an Internal MTA Checklist Form, the PI listed on the checklist must match the Providing/Recipient Scientist on the corresponding agreement. 

Many MTAs include provisions that can cause the recipient to lose rights to their creations or inventions. Additionally, these agreements may include language that can prevent the recipient from publishing or even continuing their research. Only an authorized signatory may enter into an MTA on behalf of the university and it is vital that you never enter into an MTA on your own. 

MTAs, whether incoming or outgoing, must be processed by the Technology Transfer Office (TTO); please review the Material Transfer Policy 3364-70-12. All MTAs (non-animal and live animal) require an Internal MTA Checklist:

Submit an Internal MTA Checklist

Additionally, live animal transfers require a separate Animal Import/Export Form. Visit the Department Of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) webpage to complete their form.   

Material Transfer Agreement Process

• Complete the Internal MTA Checklist form and, if applicable, upload any documents received from another institution. After submitting the form, copies are sent to the PI, Contact (if submitted on behalf of PI), Research Compliance (RC), and the TTO. 
• The Internal MTA Checklist is reviewed by RC and the draft agreement is reviewed by the TTO. 
• If RC has no further questions, the form is typically approved within a short time frame and returned to the TTO. However, if an analyst in RC seeks further clarification, they may contact the PI to request corrections to the Internal MTA Checklist. The PI must respond in a timely manner to prevent an unnecessary delay in the approval process. 
• Once RC approves and returns the Internal MTA Checklist to the TTO, the terms of the draft agreement are finalized, and the document is processed to obtain all necessary signatures.
• After the authorized signatories from all involved institutions sign the document(s), all interested parties receive a copy of the fully executed (FE) agreement. Upon receipt of the FE agreement, the material may be transferred. 

For additional assistance or questions about the Material Transfer Process, please contact the Technology Transfer Office.