Material transfer agreement

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 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 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.[1]
• 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.[2]
• 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.[3]
• Rodriguez, Victor (2008). Governance of material transfer agreements. Technology in Society, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 122–128.[4]
• Rodriguez, Victor and Koenraad Debackere (2007). Strategies for satisfying the need of research materials. Les Nouvelles, September, pp. 529–533.[5]
• 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.[6]
• 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.[7]
• 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.[8]