Proper security of material, data and confidential/proprietary information
- When materials or data will be shared with other organizations, foreign or otherwise, it is often prudent and may be required by law, to have an agreement, such as a material transfer agreement (MTA), data use agreement (DUA), or nondisclosure agreement (NDA), in place governing the use of those materials or data. Having an agreement also allows the university to complete all required compliance reviews and implement appropriate internal controls. For assistance with in-coming MTAs, contact the Office of Technology Commercialization and to request an out-going MTA, log in to BLUE. DUAs and NDAs are negotiated and executed by the industry contracting team in OSR.
- Remember that all agreements must be reviewed and signed by institutional officials with appropriate signature authority.
- Non-public technical information received from another party is subject to export control regulations and should be reviewed accordingly by the export compliance office. Contact exportcontrol@unc.edu for questions and assistance with receiving controlled information.
- Accepting any sensitive or controlled information under a research contract may require heightened cybersecurity, privacy protections, incident response, and breach notification requirements. Always consult with OSR, privacy@unc.edu and exportcontrols@unc.edu to confirm that these requirements are properly managed.