Material Transfer Agreement
Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) are formal agreements 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 the transferred material, are necessary to advance academic research, and protect the rights of both the provider and recipient.
Faculty, students, and staff must complete an Internal MTA Checklist and have a fully executed MTA in place before sending research materials to other institutions or receiving research materials from outside The University of Toledo. All MTAs, whether incoming or outgoing, must be processed by the Technology Transfer Office (TTO).
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 be used to 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.
All MTAs (non-animal and live animal) require an Internal MTA Checklist form:
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 submit the required forms and review their animal transfer processes.
Material Transfer Agreement Process
- Please complete the webform for the Internal MTA Checklist. After submitting the form,
copies are emailed to the PI and the TTO. To expedite the process, please forward
any documents provided by the providing/receiving institution.
- The Internal MTA Checklist is reviewed by the Research Compliance Office and the draft
MTA is reviewed by the TTO.
- If the research compliance office has no further questions, the form is typically approved within three business days and returned to the TTO. However, if a research compliance analyst seeks further clarification, they may contact the PI to request a correction to the Internal MTA Checklist, which may delay the approval process.
- After the approved Internal MTA Checklist is returned to the TTO, the terms of the
draft MTA are finalized, and the document is processed to obtain all necessary signatures.
- After the authorized signatories from all involved institutions sign the documents, all interested parties receive a copy of the fully executed (FE) agreement. Upon receipt of the FE MTA, the scientist may proceed with transferring the material.
For additional assistance or questions about the Material Transfer Process, please contact the Technology Transfer Office.