Outbound Material Transfer Agreements

A material transfer agreement (MTA) is a contract that governs the transfer of materials between institutions for use in research. Materials may include cell lines, plasmids, nucleotides, proteins, transgenic animals, plant varieties, bacteria, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. These agreements are typically only a few pages in length and address issues such as ownership of the transferred material and modifications and derivatives made by the recipient. They also may limit the use and further dissemination of the material by the recipient, address publication rights and confidentiality as well as rights to inventions and research results.¹

OTM manages outbound MTAs, meaning University materials being transferred to colleagues and others outside of the University. To request an outbound MTA, please submit the form linked here. Once submitted, a technology manager will contact you.  Note: please wait until you have been notified by OTM that all parties have signed the agreement before transferring materials.

Form: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/21814733 

If you have any questions about this form or if you are requesting an MTA for a transfer that has already occurred, please contact OTM directly at otm@illinois.edu.

¹Definition courtesy of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)