Unfunded Agreements

Unfunded Research Agreements (UFRA) are legally binding agreements that are related to University research but do not provide funding. The most common types of UFRAs are:

• Confidentiality or nondisclosure agreements
• Material transfer agreements
• Data use agreements
• Collaboration agreements
• Memoranda of understanding

SPA’s UFRA office handles agreements for materials and data coming into the University from an outside party.

• When the University is sending data and materials to another party, those agreements are handled by the Office for Technology Commercialization (OTC).   
• When the agreement involves payment to the University for services performed by the University and any tangible goods produced as a result of such services, those agreements are handled by External Sales.

If a party outside the University of Minnesota has sent you an unfunded research agreement, or is asking you to send them one, read on.

Confidentiality or Nondisclosure Agreement

Sometimes called a CDA or NDA, this is a legally binding contract in which the University and a person or organization promises to treat specific information as a secret and promises not to disclose the secret to others without proper authorization.

If you receive a CDA, or a request for a CDA:

1. Send the agreement to ufra@umn.edu
2. In your email, provide the University principal investigator’s name and contact information for someone in the other party.

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)

This is a contract that governs the transfer of tangible research materials to the University from another person or organization, when the University intends to use that material for research purposes. The MTA defines the rights of the provider and the recipient with respect to the materials and any derivatives.

If you receive an MTA:

1. Complete a Material Transfer Agreement Routing Form (MTARF). See instructions.
2. Send the agreement to ufra@umn.edu.
3. In your email, provide the University principal investigator’s name, MTARF number, and contact information for someone in the other party.

See more information about MTAs. Remember, OTC handles these agreements when the University is the party sending the materials out.

Data Use Agreement (DUA)

This is a contract used for the transfer to the University of data that has been developed by nonprofit, government, or private industry, where the data is nonpublic or is otherwise subject to some restrictions on its use, especially protected health information (PHI).

If you receive a DUA:

1. Complete a Material Transfer Agreement Routing Form (MTARF).  
2. Send the agreement to ufra@umn.edu.
3. In your email, provide the University principal investigator’s name, MTARF number, and contact information for someone in the other party.

Other UFRAs

For all other kinds of UFRAs, follow the same steps:

1. Complete a Material Transfer Agreement Routing Form (MTARF).  
2. Send the agreement to ufra@umn.edu.
3. In your email, provide the University principal investigator’s name, MTARF number, and contact information for someone in the other party.

If you’re not sure whether an agreement you’ve been sent is an UFRA or not, or if you have other questions, contact Tom Schouweiler, UFRA coordinator ((612)-625-0571, ufra@umn.edu).

Use the UFRA database to check the status of an agreement already in process. Read about how to use the UFRA database.