Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)

Biological material (antibodies, cells etc.) can be of considerable commercial value. Nowadays such material is no longer made unconditionally available to others. MTAs were developed with the aim to promote this interchange of vital importance for the progress of science. MTAs make the exchange of biological material among academic institutions possible by regulating the recipient's rights to the material and by defining the exact ownership situation. MTAs are also used by companies for the transfer of materials to academic institutions, whereby the terms and conditions are often restricting for the academic researcher.

Often the person supplying the material has exaggerated ideas about ownership of research results obtained with the material. Sometimes even publication is prohibited. Be very cautious, in particular with materials received under a MTA from a company, to not let an agreement block your further research.

Always insist on a MTA if you want to control distribution of your material to third parties and/or the commercial application of the material you are supplying. Transfer of material to a company is usually regulated by a license agreement for commercial use rather than a MTA.

Many US universities use the so called Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) for the exchange of materials among academic groups. The universities of Basel, Bern and Zurich are signatories of the UBMTA master agreement, which facilitates the finalization of such UBMTAs. Signing of an Implenting Letter is sufficient in such cases.

Addgene is a nonprofit plasmid repository which allows easy distribution of plasmids to the scientific community. A Master Deposit Agreement of the Universities of Basel, Bern and Zurich with Addgene simplifies the process for researchers.
Distribution of plasmids by Addgene is usually done under a UBMTA if no additional restrictions apply for the use of the specific plasmid. A Master Agreement of the Universities of Basel, Bern and Zurich with Addgene ensures a simple and speedy process when ordering materials.

Unitectra will either draw up a MTA for you or examine a contract that needs signing by the recipient of the material. We also make available a sample MTA for the transfer of materials to other academic groups. This sample agreement is suitable for biological material. We will be pleased to provide you with an adapted agreement for other types of material or for animals.

Many US universities use the so called Universal Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) for the exchange of materials among academic groups. The universities of Basel, Bern and Zurich are signatories of the UBMTA master agreement, which facilitates the finalization of such UBMTAs.