The influence of material transfer agreements on the dynamic of knowledge creation

Material transfer agreements (MTA) are more and more used in academic research to control the use of research materials by others. These agreements are more and more formally negotiated contracts signed before the transfer of... [ view full abstract ]

Material transfer agreements (MTA) are more and more used in academic research to control the use of research materials by others. These agreements are more and more formally negotiated contracts signed before the transfer of a material in or out a research unit (Rodriguez, 2005). In 2003, the annual meeting of AUTM addressed the question of MTA, which take a large variety of forms. They can be established in order to avoid patent rights on the material or to encourage patenting inventions deriving from the material. For academic research, MTA can lead to restriction in the publication of research results. The provider of the material can have the right to control publication and to verify that nothing that would be disclosed is related to its own confidential information.
We consider a set of 98 MTA signed by two big French Universities between 2005 and 2014. We identify the nature of materials transferred and the fields of research concerned by these transfers of materials. We analyse the clause of these agreements to characterize the different forms of MTA and to address the question of the influence of MTA on the dynamic of knowledge creation in academic research.