MTAs

A Material Transfer Agreement is a contract used to transfer research materials from one entity to another. A Data Transfer and Use Agreement is a contract that governs how data is shared. MTAs and DTUAs ensure that the interests of Caltech and its researchers are protected.

MTAs and DTUAs define the rights, obligations, and restrictions of the providing and receiving parties such as ownership, publication, intellectual property, permitted use and liability.

Tangible research materials such as:

• Biological materials: antibodies, transgenic and knockout mice, cDNA, plasmids, reagents, proteins, recombinant proteins, vectors, human embryonic stem cells, etc.
• Drugs and other chemical compounds
• Data

Not always. Determining whether an MTA is needed is generally up to the provider of the material.

• If Caltech is the provider and your outgoing material is i) being sent to an academic institution in the United States, ii) is non-toxic, iii) not of human origin, and iv) not for human use, then Caltech does not require an MTA for the transfer. However, we are happy process one if the PI desires to track the transfer.
• If Caltech is providing material to a commercial entity or an institution outside the United States, then an MTA should be completed.
• If the material is incoming to Caltech, we will defer to the provider as to whether an MTA is required to cover the transfer.

Please email mta@caltech.edu with your request, making sure you have the Caltech Principal Investigator's approval. Please provide the full contact information of the intended recipient and a full description of the material to be sent.

OTTCP has signatory authority on behalf of Caltech to sign MTAs and DTUAs. The Caltech Principal Investigator must also sign incoming MTAs to acknowledge that they will uphold their obligations under the agreement. Please submit any material transfer agreement from an external party to mta@caltech.edu. If you have received the MTA from the providing entity via email, please feel free to forward the email thread with attachment(s) to mta@caltech.edu. OTTCP will review the agreement and negotiate changes if necessary.

The Principal Investigator may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in preparing and shipping the samples. Please provide OTTCP with an estimate (including overhead) of costs actually incurred, and a PTA for reimbursement, when requesting the MTA.

Yes. For shipments outside the US must also get approval from Caltech's Export Compliance Office, see specifically the International Shipments page for instructions.

Please email mta@caltech.edu or call (626) 395-3066.