The Wadsworth Center is committed to making research findings available to the public in compliance with the Bayh-Dole Act_[1] and Federal sponsor requirements for the recipients of federal Research Grants and Contracts.  The following offers information and resources regarding appropriate strategies for resource sharing, material and animal transfer, and collaborative research agreements.

The Office of Research & Technology negotiates and executes the appropriate agreements, providing the necessary legal protections for the Center and investigators.  Terms and conditions of the agreement are negotiated to be consistent with the mission of the Wadsworth Center and state and federal laws and regulations. In general, individual investigators will initiate this process by submitting a request and the necessary information to the Office of Research & Technology.

Material Transfer Agreements (MTA)

The Center must obtain a legally binding agreement before research materials such as clones, antibodies, enzymes, viruses, and algorithms can be shared with investigators at external institutions.  In some instances, sharing materials with another Wadsworth investigator may also require an agreement.  Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) are appropriate when the material is to be used for research purposes only and it is a simple transfer of material without any other collaboration anticipated.  If a collaboration is anticipated, then a Collaborative Research Agreement or Sponsored Research Agreement needs to be put into place.  Additional provisions are added to the MTA where the material transfer involves select agents.

Agreements are put into place between Institutions rather than individual investigators. Investigators are not permitted to be the sole signatory on such agreements.  It is the responsibility of the investigator to comply with all requirements of the MTA.

The Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, is a signatory to the Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement _[2] (UBMTA).  MTAs are negotiated by the Office of Research & Technology and entered into by the Director’s office.

Collaborative Research Agreements (CRA)

CRAs provide protection for the Center and for Principal Investigators working with external scientists on a joint project.  The terms include Relationship of the Parties, Confidentiality, Publication Rights, and Inventions and Discoveries, and are more specific than general confidentiality protections. Collaborative Research Agreements may or may not include sponsored/funded research.  If funding is associated with the agreement, contact HRI for review, negotiation and processing of the agreement. CRAs are negotiated by the Office of Research & Technology and entered into by the Director’s office.

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) / Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs)

NDAs / CDAs are often negotiated and put into place prior to the initiation of research and development discussions with a corporation or possible future collaborator, or when independently testing a technology prior to licensing it. There are also instances when such agreements are put into place when multiple investigators are discussing / planning a research grant proposal. These agreements provide basic protection for investigators from unauthorized disclosure of information pertaining to scientific progress, know-how, technology, and materials. NDAs / CDAs are negotiated by the Office of Research & Technology and entered into by the Director’s office.

Animal Transfer

The Office of Research & Technology coordinates with the Wadsworth Center's Veterinary Science Program and the Center’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to ensure that the transfer of animals between investigators (internal and external) is compliant with federal regulation and policy, and that necessary transfer agreements are in place prior to the transfer. In addition to an agreement for the transfer of animals between labs within Wadsworth Center or external Institutions, the Wadsworth Center Investigator must complete an internal Movement of Animals Form.