Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)
Material Transfer Agreements need to be requested in the PERA system. Information on how to submit the MTA can be found at the links below:
Procedures for MTAs, whether Purdue is the recipient or provider
General PERA Training information for SPS Contracting activities
The MTA request should be completed by the Purdue Principal Investigator (PI) in charge of the receipt or dissemination of research material. If an individual other than the PI submits the request, SPS Contracting will need to reach out to the PI to certify the accuracy of the information provided. The Purdue PI should be a faculty member or an individual with approval to serve as a principal investigator. SPS Contracting will be unable to process any MTAs without a request submitted in the PERA system.
What is an MTA?
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract that governs the transfer of materials between institutions for use in research. Materials may include cell lines, plasmids, nucleotides, proteins, transgenic animals, plant varieties, bacteria, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals. MTAs are important because they define the parameters under which material may be used. MTAs include terms related to permitted reason and length of time for use of the material, confidentiality of material, publication of results, ownership of intellectual property, and warranty and liability. MTAs may also address issues related to ownership of the transferred material, modifications and derivatives made by the recipient, and rights to inventions and research results. They also may limit the use and further dissemination of the material by the recipient. The parties to the contract may be academic, government, or commercial organizations.
What is the purpose of an MTA?
MTAs protect both the researcher’s and Purdue’s interests and the ability to conduct future research related to the material. It is important to ensure that the provider does not include terms that may restrict Purdue’s academic freedom, assert undue rights of ownership of discoveries, or use indemnification language that may put the University at risk.
Who can sign an MTA?
Faculty and researchers cannot sign MTAs on behalf of the University. MTAs are not valid unless signed by an authorized representative from Sponsored Program Services (SPS) Contracting. That being said, the Principal Investigator is required to provide an acknowledgement signature on MTAs as well in order to ensure they understand and agree to abide by the terms and conditions contained within the MTA.
How can Faculty request an MTA from SPS?
Provide any additional helpful information or documents, such as a draft MTA provided by the other party when submitting the MTA request. Also, ensure all regulatory approval information is available and provided with the MTA request. Those approval numbers (IRB, IACUC, IBC) and dates are critical to the timely processing of MTAs. If any information is missing from the MTA submission, the processing of the MTA will be delayed. Any questions regarding the processing of MTAs should be directed to spscontr@purdue.edu.
