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Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA)
and Material Transfer Agreements (MTA)

July 9, 1998

Written Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) or Material Transfer Agreements (MTA) are primarily the basis for outside collaborations. The following general categories contrast these transactions in which FDA scientists may be involved:

No Agreement Necessary MTA Needed CRADA Needed
Material or information desired is not confidential The material and or information is proprietary Exchange of material and/or information takes place over a period of time for a collaborative purpose:
easily obtained substance information that cannot be obtained without a secrecy agreement interchange of ideas, staff, etc.; the non-Federal collaborator may contribute money
generally known procedure a substance that embodies a trade secret may be the subject of FDA policy issues
the probability of an invention using these is most unlikely no true collaboration anticipated; data only may be provided confidential information is likely to be exchanged
    potential for causing appearance of individual or organizational conflict(s) of interest
    reasonable possibility of inventions leading to patents, licensing and royalties

Next Section: Purpose of MTA

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FDA Technology Transfer

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