Draft OpenMTA 11 June 2017, for comment

Abstract

The Open Material Transfer Agreement (OpenMTA) is designed to allow researchers to share materials on an open basis while working within the practical realities of technology transfer. Our goal it to help reduce transaction costs, support collaboration among researchers across institutional and international boundaries, promote access to materials for researchers in less privileged institutions and world regions, and provide an avenue for researchers and their institutions to be credited for materials made openly available. The OpenMTA was developed as a collaborative effort led by the BioBricks Foundation and OpenPlant Synthetic Biology Research Centre, with input from researchers, technology transfer professionals, legal experts, social scientists and other stakeholders. Design goals for the OpenMTA include access, attribution, reuse, redistribution, and nondiscrimination, in line with open access and open data principles. A proposed draft of the OpenMTA Master Agreement is herewith made available for public review and comment. Please send comments to Linda Kahl via [email protected]