For Inventors

Both intellectual property and real property are valuable to »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ and other parties with whom »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ collaborates.

To protect both parties' interests we enter into agreements to protect the property, »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ, and »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ employees involved. The legally binding agreements are signed by only a few individuals as appointed by the president of Augusta University and may not be executed by any other »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ employee.

Material transfer agreements (MTA) permit the exchange of real property with non-profit institutions or with for-profit companies. Since every institution and company has unique interests, there is no "standard agreement." Each agreement is negotiated through the Office of Innovation Commercialization (OIC). Since »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ shares many common interests with other non-profit organizations, the negotiations are usually rapid. However, negotiations with for-profit companies can take longer since their interests are so different from those of »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ. The OIC responds to the other party quickly. However, there are times when the other party takes a long period of time to work on the agreement even though the OIC constantly urges them to move the process along.

Confidential disclosure agreements (CDA) or non-disclosure agreements (NDA) are the same agreement with a different name. A CDA allows parties to share with each other secret information that for a period of time may not be shared with any other party. This includes abstracts, presentations, papers, or even casual conversation. Much like an MTA, each CDA is unique but usually less involved than an MTA, so it can be negotiated more rapidly.

To initiate a MTA or CDA please forward all pertinent documents to MTA@augusta.edu or CDA@augusta.edu, respectively.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I find »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ's standard MTA or CDA?

There is no such thing as a standard MTA or CDA. Each is negotiated between Augusta University and the other party.

Where do I find a template to write an MTA or CDA?

»Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ does not supply a template since each agreement is unique.

Can my department chair sign an MTA or CDA?

No. The President of »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ has designated only a handful of individuals that can enter into legally binding agreements on behalf of »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ.

How do I get an MTA or CDA completed?

For MTAs please email mta@augusta.edu. For CDAs please email cda@augusta.edu.

Why is getting a few compounds from my colleague at a company such a big deal?

Agreements that control the exchange of real or intellectual property can contain clauses that can inhibit you, your students, your »Æ¹Ï¶ÌÊÓƵ colleagues, etc. from doing certain types of research in the future.