Material transfer agreement
Encyclopedia
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract
that governs the transfer of tangible research materials between two organizations, when the recipient intends to use it for his or her own research purposes. The MTA defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the materials and any derivatives. Biological material
s, such as reagent
s, cell lines, plasmid
s, and vectors, are the most frequently transferred materials, but MTAs may also be used for other types of materials, such as chemical compounds and even some types of software.
Three types of MTAs are most common at academic institutions: transfer between academic or research institutions, transfer from academia to industry, and transfer from industry to academia. Each call for different terms and conditions.1
1.http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/guide/mtaquick.html
Selected bibliography
• Rodriguez, Victor (2005). Material transfer agreements: open science vs. proprietary claims. Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 489–491.http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v23/n4/abs/nbt040-489.html
• Rodriguez, Victor (2007a). Material transfer agreements: Avoiding collisions with technology managers. BNA's Patent, Trademark and Copyright Journal, Vol. 73, No. 1802, pp. 305–308.http://www.bna.com/products/ip/ptcj.htm
• Rodriguez, Victor (2007b). Merton and Ziman’s modes of science: The case of biological and similar material transfer agreements. Science and Public Policy, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 355–363.http://www.econ.kuleuven.be/msi/_docs/members/rodriguez/2007_merton.pdf
• Rodriguez, Victor (2008). Governance of material transfer agreements. Technology in Society, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 122–128.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0160791X
• Rodriguez, Victor and Koenraad Debackere (2007). Strategies for satisfying the need of research materials. Les Nouvelles, September, pp. 529–533.http://www.lesi.org
• Rodriguez, Victor et al. (2007a). Do material transfer agreements affect the choice of research agendas? The case of biotechnology in Belgium. Scientometrics, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 239–269.http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/scie/2007/00000071/00000002/00001666?crawler=true
• Rodriguez, Victor et al. (2007b). Material transfer agreements and collaborative publication activity: The case of a biotechnology network. Research Evaluation, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 123–136.http://www.econ.kuleuven.be/msi/_docs/members/rodriguez/2007_agreement.pdf
• Rodriguez, Victor et al. (2008). On material transfer agreements and visibility of researchers in biotechnology. Journal of Informetrics, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 89–100.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/17511577
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
that governs the transfer of tangible research materials between two organizations, when the recipient intends to use it for his or her own research purposes. The MTA defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the materials and any derivatives. Biological material
Biological material
Biological material may refer to:* Tissue , or just tissue* Biomass, living or dead biological matter, often plants grown as fuel* Biomass , the total mass of living biological matter* Biomaterials...
s, such as reagent
Reagent
A reagent is a "substance or compound that is added to a system in order to bring about a chemical reaction, or added to see if a reaction occurs." Although the terms reactant and reagent are often used interchangeably, a reactant is less specifically a "substance that is consumed in the course of...
s, cell lines, plasmid
Plasmid
In microbiology and genetics, a plasmid is a DNA molecule that is separate from, and can replicate independently of, the chromosomal DNA. They are double-stranded and, in many cases, circular...
s, and vectors, are the most frequently transferred materials, but MTAs may also be used for other types of materials, such as chemical compounds and even some types of software.
Three types of MTAs are most common at academic institutions: transfer between academic or research institutions, transfer from academia to industry, and transfer from industry to academia. Each call for different terms and conditions.1
1.http://www.spo.berkeley.edu/guide/mtaquick.html
Selected bibliography
• Rodriguez, Victor (2005). Material transfer agreements: open science vs. proprietary claims. Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 489–491.http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v23/n4/abs/nbt040-489.html• Rodriguez, Victor (2007a). Material transfer agreements: Avoiding collisions with technology managers. BNA's Patent, Trademark and Copyright Journal, Vol. 73, No. 1802, pp. 305–308.http://www.bna.com/products/ip/ptcj.htm
• Rodriguez, Victor (2007b). Merton and Ziman’s modes of science: The case of biological and similar material transfer agreements. Science and Public Policy, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 355–363.http://www.econ.kuleuven.be/msi/_docs/members/rodriguez/2007_merton.pdf
• Rodriguez, Victor (2008). Governance of material transfer agreements. Technology in Society, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 122–128.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0160791X
• Rodriguez, Victor and Koenraad Debackere (2007). Strategies for satisfying the need of research materials. Les Nouvelles, September, pp. 529–533.http://www.lesi.org
• Rodriguez, Victor et al. (2007a). Do material transfer agreements affect the choice of research agendas? The case of biotechnology in Belgium. Scientometrics, Vol. 71, No. 2, pp. 239–269.http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/klu/scie/2007/00000071/00000002/00001666?crawler=true
• Rodriguez, Victor et al. (2007b). Material transfer agreements and collaborative publication activity: The case of a biotechnology network. Research Evaluation, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 123–136.http://www.econ.kuleuven.be/msi/_docs/members/rodriguez/2007_agreement.pdf
• Rodriguez, Victor et al. (2008). On material transfer agreements and visibility of researchers in biotechnology. Journal of Informetrics, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 89–100.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/17511577