What is an MTA
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a tool widely used in the scientific community for the sharing of reagents (often biological) and materials. Many of these transfers are vital for the progress of research. Most companies (and a large number academic institutions) will not release materials until there is a Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) in place between the provider and the recipient.
An MTA is in effect a contract between the owner (or licensee) of materials to a third party, which concerns the transfer of materials for internal research purposes only. Materials may include;
- Cultures
- Cell lines
- Plasmids
- Nucleotides
- Proteins
- Bacteria
- Transgenic animals
- Pharmaceuticals
- Other chemicals
MTAs can also be used for the transfer of materials in any field.