OIP - Types of Agreements
- Confidentiality Agreements (CDAs) and Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) are used to protect the confidentiality of any proprietary information that needs to be evaluated by the other party, whether that information is being shared by the investigator with a potential sponsor or by a sponsor with the investigator.
- Consulting Agreements are made between the sponsor and the investigator and as such are not negotiated or signed by the University. It is the investigator's responsibility to ensure that the terms of the agreement do not conflict with their commitments to the University. Help is available through the Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic.
- Cost-Reimbursable Agreements are the most standard type of research agreement. The project budget is accepted by both parties, but payment is made on invoices that show the actual expenses incurred.
- Fee for Service (FFS) Agreements are not research. These are vendor relationships in that the University is providing a routine service that meets predefined specifications. There is no intellectual property or scope of work.
- Fixed-Price Contracts are used when an agreement is reached between the UW and a Sponsor that provides for a set price and does not require a refund of the balance upon project completion.
- Master Agreements don't provide direct funding to the University, but provide the terms under which subsequent tasks or addendums may be executed to efficiently pass funding to the UW.
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Materials Transfer Agreements (MTAs) are used for incoming and outgoing materials at the University. They describe the terms under which University investigators and outside researchers can share materials, typically for research or evaluation purposes. MTAs protect both the investigator and the industrial partner.
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Research Agreements describe the terms under which sponsors provide research support to the University. Our Standard Research Agreement contains language that is immediately acceptable to the UW.
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Option Agreements or option clauses within research agreements, describe the conditions under which the University preserves the opportunity for a third party to negotiate a license for Intellectual Property.
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License Agreements usually stipulate that the licensee should diligently seek to bring the intellectual property into commercial use for the public good and provide a reasonable return to the University. Such agreements are negotiated by the University's tech transfer organization, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
Let us assist you in finding the appropriate type of agreement for your project.
Office of Industrial Partnerships
202 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
oip@grad.wisc.edu