The Innovation & Commercialization team facilitates a handful of agreements that are generally used to protect the interests of the University of North Texas (UNT), UNT Faculty Inventors, and UNT Student Inventors. Such agreements include Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)/ Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs), Visiting Scientist Agreements (VSAs), Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs), Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs), and Technology Licensing Agreements.

NDA/CDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement/Confidential Disclosure Agreement

A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) or Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA) is a legal contract that protects confidential information shared between parties by defining how it may be used and disclosed. For university faculty and inventors, NDAs/CDAs are essential for safeguarding unpublished research and inventions, preserving potential patent rights, and enabling productive collaborations with industry, investors, and other research partners while protecting valuable intellectual property.

VSA - Visiting Scientist Agreement
A Visiting Scientist Agreement (VSA) is a legal agreement that defines the terms under which an external researcher works with a university, including responsibilities related to research, intellectual property, confidentiality, and publication. These agreements help protect the interests of both the institution and the visiting scientist while promoting collaborative research and ensuring that ownership of discoveries and other legal obligations are clearly established..
 
MOU - Memorandum of Understanding

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is an agreement that outlines the intentions, roles, and responsibilities of two or more parties working toward a common goal, without necessarily creating legally binding obligations. For universities, MOUs establish a framework for collaboration with external institutions, organizations, or industry partners by clarifying expectations, promoting cooperation, and providing a foundation for future research, educational, or commercialization activities.

MTA - Material Transfer Agreement
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a legal contract that governs the transfer of tangible research materials, such as biological samples, chemicals, plasmids, cell lines, or prototypes, between organizations for research or evaluation purposes. For university faculty and inventors, MTAs protect intellectual property, define how the materials may be used, address ownership of resulting discoveries, and ensure that both the provider's and recipient's rights and responsibilities are clearly established.
IIA - Inter-Institutional Agreement
An inter-institutional agreement (IIA) is a legal contract between two or more organizations that defines how they will collaborate, including the ownership, management, and commercialization of intellectual property resulting from shared research or innovation. It is important for university faculty and inventors because it establishes clear expectations, protects the interests of all parties, and helps ensure that research collaborations can move forward efficiently while preserving opportunities for publication, funding, and technology transfer.
LIC - Technology Licensing Agreement
A Technology Licensing Agreement is a legal contract that grants a company or other organization the right to use, develop, manufacture, or commercialize a university-owned technology under agreed-upon terms. For university faculty and inventors, these agreements are essential for translating research discoveries into real-world products and services while protecting intellectual property, defining each party's rights and obligations, and generating potential revenue to support future innovation.

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To ensure your innovations and ideas stay protected, email innovation@unt.edu.