Office of Research and Technology Ventures
Transfer of Materials
Initiate a Material Transfer
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract used to govern the exchange of research materials between organizations. ORTV is responsible for negotiating and signing all MTAs with outside organizations. ORTV reviews MTAs to ensure contractual obligations are consistent with Dana-Farber policy and/or federal law.
To Receive Materials from a Company or Academic Organization
To expedite the process of review and negotiation of an MTA to receive materials, DFCI investigators must submit a review form.
Access the Inbound MTA Review Form and follow submission instructions.
To Send Materials to an Academic Organization
In most cases, investigators may send the Dana-Farber MTA directly to academic scientists who request materials using a pre-approved MTA with limited editable fields. Either the Dana-Farber investigator or laboratory staff or the requestor can enter the necessary information in the editable fields. The form does NOT need to be signed by Dana-Farber provided that no changes to the provisions of the agreement are requested by the recipient. Upon receipt by the Dana-Farber investigator of the MTA signed by an authorized party for the requestor, the materials may be shipped. If the materials are mice, the Animal Research Facility must be sent a copy of the MTA along with instructions for shipment.
Access the pre-approved Outbound MTA and follow instructions.
To Send Materials to a Company
Materials are transferred to a company for research purposes using a fee-based license and not an MTA. Investigators interested in sending materials to a company should contact their case manager or ORTV's Technology Transfer Specialist at (617) 632-2118 or ORTV@dfci.harvard.edu.
Due to the complex nature of academic-industry interactions, MTA negotiations may take a significant period of time. Therefore, it is important to submit requests as soon as possible.
