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1.5 - Service Centre Research and Technology Transfer

Material transfer

Material Transfer Agreements (MTA)

A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is an agreement whose object is the transfer of generally unpatented material.

In the case of university MTAs, it is important that research and teaching are the primary purpose. In the case of MTAs with industrial partners, the university must not transfer its property for less than its value or free of charge, as biological materials (antibodies, cell lines, mouse lines, etc.) can be of considerable value. A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) regulates the transfer of this biological material, including appropriate remuneration if applicable.

Click here to go directly to the MTA form.

Please note:

This sample MTA is only intended for the transfer of material to research institutions and only if the outgoing material can be used free of third-party rights. In all other cases, please submit a request to the SFT.

 

Legal aspects

There are a number of legal aspects to consider, such as

  • What is the recipient allowed to do with the material?

  • What is the ownership situation?

  • Who is liable for damages?

  • What is the procedure for publications and inventions?

  • Costs, payment transactions

  • For international contractual partners: applicable law and place of jurisdiction

  • etc.

Irrespective of the type of material in question, the following questions should be clarified in advance:

  • What is the recipient allowed to do with the material?

  • Who owns inventions that are created using the material?

  • Who is liable for any damage caused by the use of the material?

  • If a scientist at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg receives a request for material, it must be checked, among other things, whether he or she is authorised to make the material available at all, because, for example, he or she has received the material from a third party with a corresponding agreement or exclusive rights of use to the material have already been granted to third parties.

 

Contact persons

Please get in touch with the contact persons in the Patents and Licences department, who will be happy to help you with the appropriate arrangements and processing.