Page 35 - Innovator Handbook

What other types of agreements are used in the technology transfer process?
Additional agreements that are sometimes utilized during the technology transfer process include:
• Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are often used to protect the confidentiality of an innovation during evaluation by potential licensees. NDAs also protect proprietary information of third parties that FAU researchers need to review in order to conduct research or evaluate research opportunities. The Office of Sponsored Programs enters into NDAs for FAU proprietary information shared with someone outside of FAU.
• Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), used for incoming
and outgoing materials at FAU, are administered by the Office of Sponsored Programs. These agreements describe the terms under which FAU researchers and outside researchers may share materials, typically for research or evaluation purposes. Intellectual property rights can be endangered if materials are used without a proper MTA.
• Inter-Institutional Agreements (IIAs) describe the terms
under which two or more institutions (e.g., two universities) will collaborate to assess, protect, market, license and share in the revenues received from licensing jointly-owned intellectual property.
• Sponsored Research Agreements (SRAs) describe the
terms under which sponsors provide research support to FAU. These are negotiated by the Office of Sponsored Programs.
• Option agreements, or option clauses within SRAs, describe the conditions under which FAU preserves the opportunity
for a third party to negotiate a license for intellectual property. Option agreements are entered into with potential licensees wishing to evaluate the technology prior to entering into a
full license agreement; option clauses are often provided in agreements with corporate research sponsors at FAU.
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