Co-Development Agreements

Handshake between researcher lab and business technology transfer negotiation deal

The NCI's Technology Transfer Center (TTC) recognizes the importance of co-development in order to translate early-stage discoveries to outside entities to benefit public health. In support of this goal, the TTC establishes formal collaborative agreements with industry, academia, and non-profits to facilitate co-development through the exchange and development of research materials, knowledge, and technologies.

The TTC uses three different co-development agreements to help industry and academia interact and partner with National Institutes of Health laboratories and scientists to support technology development activities:

Collaboration Agreement (CA)

Permits a two-way exchange of materials and information, and assumes exchange of results and/or conclusions will occur between NIH and companies, universities, state/local governments, Federal labs, and non-profits.

Combines terms of a CDA and MTA
Simplified research plan
Exchange of new material created during the collaboration is addressed
No funding from the outside party allowed
No license option
Rights to foreground IP are not addressed
Human and non-human materials covered

Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA)

Permits co-development of NIH or outside invention involving companies, universities, state/local governments, Federal labs, and non-profits.

For NIH

May receive funds or in-kind contributions for collaborative research project
May provide confidentiality for research results up to five years after development

For Collaborator

Exclusive option to license any inventions that are developed by a Federal laboratory employee(s) as part of the collaborative research
Access to unique reagents and resources
Access to scientific and regulatory expertise
Access to Federal lab

CRADA Information Sheet

This information sheet describes the CRADA mechanism. It provides information about:

CRADA models to capture the various collaboration types
Characteristics common to all CRADA models
Collaborator’s rights to the outcome of the CRADA research plan

Clinical Trial Agreement (CTA)

Transfers material into NIH for research in Human Subjects from companies, state/local governments, non-profits, and universities

Covers investigational data, drug, diagnostic, or device
No funding from the outside party required
No option to license foreground IP
Clinical and non-clinical
Addresses regulatory issues and monitoring
Addresses Personally Identifiable Information (PII)