The UTRGV collaborates with industry partners to commercialize university research. These partners include entrepreneurs, angel investors, technology incubators, venture capital firms, large enterprises, and others with the commercialization ecosystem.  If a potential partner has a specific need not addressed by the available technologies, UTRGV may be able to find the technology under development in a lab or facilitate a collaborative research initiative.  

Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)

NDAs are necessary whenever confidential information may be shared between UTRGV and any other entity, for instance, when new UTRGV technology is going to be discussed between a faculty member and another entity, or when faculty from different institutions collaborate on new research.  An NDA is normally made between entities or institutions, rather than solely with certain faculty members or employees of another entity, to protect all concerned persons associated with both parties.  

Material transfer agreements (MTAs)

MTAs cover the transfer of certain types of research materials to and from UTRGV.  If the materials are being received by a UTRGV researcher, in addition to the vendor/transferring institution’s agreement, UTRGV also requires 1) the researching faculty member to complete and sign an Incoming Materials form and 2) clearance from the Environmental Health Safety and Risk Management department.

When you need to request that materials be sent to UTRGV for you from another institution or organization, or when you need to send materials to another institution or organization, please complete and sign the appropriate MTA Information Form out of the two choices below, and send it to the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC):  

• Material Transfer Agreements - Information Forms

  • Incoming if the material is being shipped to UTRGV
  • Outgoing if the material is shipped to another institution

(These are fillable PDFs, and they can be signed electronically.  Please send the appropriate completed and signed MTA Information Form to otc@utrgv.edu. We will then proceed to get all necessary clearances and get the agreement executed so the materials can be shipped.)  

Intellectual property license agreements

When UTRGV faculty, staff, or students invent new technology using UTRGV resources, they may want to start a business in order to offer that technology to the public, or it may be that an already existing business becomes interested in new technology and wants to license it from UTRGV.  In cases like these, UT System and the UTRGV personnel or the commercial entity will need to negotiate a patent or software license agreement.  This agreement will set out reporting requirements, consideration such as stock ownership and royalties, and other expectations and obligations of each party.

Inter-institutional agreements (IIAs)

When intellectual property is jointly owned by UTRGV and another institution, the relationship and the IP can be managed through this type of agreement.  This may occur when a researcher leaves another institution, joins UTRGV, and continues the same research or related research at UTRGV, or vice-versa.  It may also result from a collaboration between researchers at different institutions 

Option agreements

Other agreements, such as sponsored research agreements, grant agreements, or memoranda of  understanding may have provisions in them that have to do with intellectual property, and the Office of Technology Commercialization should be consulted on those provisions.

International Visiting Scholar/Research Agreement

All Exchange Visiting Scholars at UTRGV that are not hired through the Office of Human Resources must sign the International Visiting Scholar/Researcher Agreement. Read more details on the visiting scholar agreement. Once the Visiting Scholar/Researcher and Faculty Sponsor have signed this agreement, please send it to otc@utrgv.edu