Welcome to the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer (JHTT) agreement resource center. This portion of the JHTT website is designed to provide information on the processes and forms required by the JHTT to maintain, license, and develop the intellectual property of our researchers and the University. These resources are intended for faculty, staff, and students who require assistance in the management of their research, as well as outside academic and private entities that are interested in acquiring the University’s available technology.

Please select one of the following categories from the list below:

License agreements
Tangible Research Property & Material transfer agreements (MTAs)
Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Not sure? Need help?
If you encounter any problems with downloading forms or have questions regarding form selection or the information required, please do not hesitate to contact us at JHTT-Communications@jhu.edu or call our main number: 410-516-8300.

License agreements
A license agreement is the standard agreement format by which the University and the Company seek to reach mutually acceptable licensing terms regarding an invention. Strategies for transferring inventions from universities to industry are based upon non-exclusive, exclusive, or limited-field licensing. A non-exclusive license is suitable for technologies, such as research tools, that are of interest to a number of companies. Exclusive licenses are generally granted for technologies where product development requires significant effort and investment on the part of the licensee. An exclusive market position is often necessary to justify the expense of the license. Exclusive licensing by discrete fields of use is most appropriate for some technologies because it allows for parallel commercial development of multiple fields or applications of the invention. All license agreements must protect the mission of the University by ensuring that faculty inventors retain rights to continue research in the licensed field, publish freely, and disseminate tangible research properties related to the technology to other academic researchers. The University requires that all licensees agree to appropriate indemnity and insurance obligations.

To begin the Licensing process

1. Identify the technology you are interested in from the Search Available Technologies database.
2. CLICK HERE to contact the JHTT to request a confidentiality/nondisclosure agreement so that we may provide you with additional proprietary information your company will need to conduct its technical and intellectual property due diligence.
3. During this time, the JHTT may request basic company background information to ensure that you have the resources necessary to develop the University's intellectual property. The Technology Licensing Associate dedicated to the case will follow up and start the licensing process by providing you with a Term Sheet that serves to establish the salient financial and other terms that will appear in the license agreement.
4. As JHTT is diligent regarding the pre-review of licenses to mitigate conflict-of-interest situations, all licenses must comply with the University's conflict-of-interest and intellectual policies and guidelines.
5. To contact the Technology Development Assistant for initiation or status of a license click here. To review the JHU policies and guidelines, click here.

Material transfer agreements (MTAs), Tangible Research Property & The ATCC Collaboration
When university faculty want to share patented or unpatented tangible properties with their colleagues at non-profit institutions for research purposes, the materials should be transferred under a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA). MTAs are binding legal agreements between the provider of research material and the recipient, which set forth the conditions of transfer and use, protect proprietary interest in the material, and restrict distribution. Most importantly, the MTA requires the recipient to indemnify the provider from any liability arising from the use of the material. Executing an MTA also helps to preserve the faculty and University’s intellectual property rights while recording the transfer of the invention to another party.

All transfer of materials into or outside of JHU should be facilitated under an MTA. It is in this way that use and transfer of these materials into and outside of the institution can be managed consistent with JHU policy, scientific custom and the host of state, federal and international regulations.

To submit an MTA:

1. Download the appropriate form:
   1. Outgoing JHU Materials Transfers to nonprofit entities are best completed using the JHU Nonprofit Outgoing MTA form. 
   2. Outgoing JHU Materials Transfers to for-profit entities are best completed using the JHU Corporate Outgoing MTA form. 
   3. The Uniform Biological Materials Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) Implementing Letter may be used to facilitate transfers incoming and outgoing, wherein both JHU and the other party have signed the UBMTA master agreement. Use of this MTA greatly reduces processing time for the agreements.
2. Unless the UBMTA is used, Incoming Materials Transfers are effected via review and negotiation of the provider’s MTA. Because the MTAs control the use of the materials and results, to name a few restrictions, these MTAs take the greatest degree of analysis. Presenting JHU Standard Terms For Material Transfer Agreements to companies at the first contact may reduce turnaround time. MTAs with for-profit, or corporate, or commercial entities may take as long as 60–90 days to complete, depending upon the responsiveness of the company and the specific terms at issue.
3. JHTT processes MTAs in response to a researcher’s request once the agreement and the MTA questionnaire are received by the MTA Team.
4. Either the Incoming MTA Questionnaire or the Outgoing MTA Questionnaire must be completed and sent to JHTT along with your request and a copy of the agreement to be reviewed. Users of the eMTA need not fill out questionnaires unless there will be changes to the template agreement. Questionnaires may be sent via email, fax or regular mail. Electronic signatures are acceptable.
5. Submit questions including status of pending MTAs, to mta@jhmi.edu. Receipt of your email will be confirmed within 24-48 hours. For a review of MTA Issues associated with processing these agreements or more information on MTA's, click here.

The ATCC Collaboration is a service to JHU researchers that not only executes the associated MTA on behalf of JHU, but also provides their deposited materials to the worldwide scientific community pursuant to domestic and international export regulations. This means that JHU researchers can fulfill their obligations to share their research materials more easily and that they arrive at their destination viable and on time. Participate in the growing JHU Special Collection at ATCC and see what this service can mean for you and your laboratory. 

To download more information on the growing Special Collection, click here (PDF)

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

The JHTT enters into Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs) with entities interested in access to additional information so that they can decide if a particular JHU technology or technologies are desirable for their intellectual property portfolio and then pursue licensing. In the event of a licensing interest, an NDA will be executed between the University and the potential licensee (the Company). An NDA protects the University’s confidential information by both requiring the potential licensee to keep the information confidential, and limiting their use of the confidential information. It also establishes that the company was unaware of the invention before the University presented it to the Company. The executed NDA will protect the intellectual property currently under discussion.

To submit an NDA:

1. Two NDAs forms have been developed for the purpose of providing the confidential information.* Both are acceptable to the Howard Hughes Medical Institutie (HHMI). Please click on the links below to view, download, or print:  
   1. The Unilateral Universal Non-Disclosure Agreement is used when only one party is disclosing the confidential information. 
      Unilateral Non-Disclosure Agreement - (Adobe PDF Format)   
      Unilateral Non-Disclosure Agreement - (Microsoft Word Format) 
   2. The Bilateral Universal Non-Disclosure Agreement is used when both parties are disclosing confidential information to each other.
      Bilateral Non-Disclosure Agreement - (Adobe PDF Format)
      Bilateral Non-Disclosure Agreement - (Microsoft Word Format)
2. When JHU has received a fully executed NDA, confidential information is provided directly by JHTT. Faculty inventors may also be contacted by the company to provide additional confidential information as specified in the NDA.
3. To contact the Technology Development Assistant for initiation or status of an NDA contact, contact us at JHTT-Communications@jhu.edu.

*If you think you need to enter into an NDA for another purpose, such as sponsored research, please contact the Office of Research Administration at the particular JHU School of interest.

JHU Research Administration Offices