The presentation by Stephen G. Harsy, delivered at the June 2012 COGR meeting, addresses the persistent barriers faced by non-profit institutions in transferring research materials, with a focus on the effectiveness and limitations of standard agreements such as the Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) and the NIH Simple Letter Agreement (SLA). Harsy outlines the efforts of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) in reviewing relevant practices through surveys and a dedicated working group. The talk references official guidelines from the NIH and recommendations from the National Academies, all advocating procedural streamlining, minimization of administrative impediments, and wider adoption of standard agreements, especially when non-hazardous, biological materials are shared for academic research purposes.
Despite these policy endorsements, data collected from institutional surveys and interviews reveal continued reluctance to fully adopt the UBMTA or SLA, stemming from preferences for custom templates, requirements for additional terms (e.g., confidentiality, export controls), and coverage limitations for certain materials such as chemicals, human tissue, or proprietary items. The working group identifies major bottlenecks at the negotiation, paperwork management, and compliance stages, and suggests further model agreements and targeted modifications to address institutional concerns. The conclusion stresses the importance of ongoing advocacy, clearer policy guidance, and stronger incentives from grant agencies to encourage broader and more effective use of standardized MTAs, while also highlighting the need for individual institutional responsibility in lowering transactional and administrative barriers to research collaboration.
