Whenever you're working with researchers at other institutions, it's important to protect your intellectual property, limit liability, and properly document the materials and information you are sharing. This is achieved using a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), Data Use Agreement (DUA), or Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA).
All three types of agreements can be requested easily and quickly using Sophia, a secure online portal. Simply log on to Sophia using your Tulane credentials.
Request to transfer materials, research tools, and/or data to or from another institution.
Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) are contracts that protect your invention and Tulane's intellectual property, limit liability, and provide for crediting of the developer of materials to and from research institutions and corporate entities.
Data use Agreements (DUA) provide the same protections for data as an MTA does for material.
MTA and DUA requests must be filed online with Sophia, saving you time, and providing on-demand access to information about your request. Simply log on to Sophia using your Tulane credentials.
Once the OIPM has all the required information from the requestor, we are committed to preparing a draft agreement and sending it to the other party within three business days.
Please contact the OIPM directly for urgent MTA or DUA requests that need to be addressed sooner than three business days. Call (504) 988-6962 or email IPcontracts@tulane.edu.
Receiving a third party's confidential information and/or disclosing Tulane intellectual property.
Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDA) are contracts that protect your invention and Tulane's intellectual property. They define the permitted use and distribution of non-public information you either provide or receive (such as the status or results of research, unpublished patent information, planned research) to and from non-profit institutions and for-profit entities.
The OIPM can assist with the preparation, review, and signature of CDAs for you to receive a third party's confidential information and/or disclose intellectual property where the primary purpose is to enable discussions and information exchange regarding:
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Third party licensing of your inventions and other intellectual property
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And/or an unfunded collaboration for the development of intellectual property.
All CDAs can be filed online using Sophia, the same portal used for MTAs and DUAs. Simply log on to Sophia using your Tulane credentials, and follow the prompts.
All CDAs must be signed by an authorized member of the Office of Intellectual Property Management. CDAs are not intended for use in transferring tangible material or in transferring research data for use in the conduct of research, for which an MTA or DUA should be used.
