Forms and Agreements

  • Nondisclosure Agreement (NDA): A legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish to restrict access to by third parties.
  • Material Transfer Agreement (MTA): A legal contract that governs the transfer of tangible research materials between two organizations, when the recipient intends to use it for his/her own research purposes. The MTA defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the materials and any derivatives. Biological materials, such as reagents, cell lines, plasmids, and vectors, are the most frequently transferred materials, but MTAs may also be used for other types of materials, such as chemical compounds and software. See the Material Transfer Agreements page for more information and send all MTAs to otc@utdallas.edu.
  • Sponsored Research Agreement (SRA): A legal contract between UT Dallas and an external sponsor for the purpose of funding and conducting research at UT Dallas. See UT Dallas’ Office of Sponsored Research page for more information, forms, and procedures.
  • Collaboration Agreement: A legal contract entered into by two or more researchers engaged in a research project to specify the nature of their working relationship. It specifies the intent of the parties to share data, research materials and facilities, and to publish research findings. Money typically is not exchanged under a collaboration agreement.
  • License Agreement: A legal agreement whereby an owner of a technological intellectual property allows another party to use, modify, and/or resell said property in exchange for compensation (consideration). See more on License Agreements.

For assistance with legal agreements or documents pertaining to intellectual property, please contact your OTC representative. Not sure who to contact? Just send us an email at otc@utdallas.edu.

Policies

Resources

UT Dallas faculty and students have access to a wide range of startup resources for commercializing select university-derived innovations through the formation of new companies, as appropriate.

For an introduction to the basics of launching a new venture at UT Dallas and a further description of resources available to faculty, students, and others, please view the following video, from Summer 2020.

Resources at UTD

State Resources

National Resources