What is a fast-track agreement?
If you are entering into a research collaboration agreement with an external party (whether commercial or non-commercial), you can often use one of TTO’s fast-track agreements with pre-approved legal standard terms and conditions (except in the field of clinical research).
The agreements are ‘ready-for-use’ and can be signed by AU departments, schools and centres without involving TTO (all we need is a copy of the signed agreement). Fast-track agreements and guidelines on their use can be found on the TTO website.
“The advantage of the fast-track agreements is, of course, that there is no waiting time. But there’s a big difference in how much they are used. We can see that two departments with many one-to-one collaborations do not use the agreements to the same extent. There may be various reasons for this – one could be that people are unaware of the fast-track agreements or feel unsure about when to use them. You’re always welcome to contact us at TTO, of course, and we’ll be happy to guide and assist you,” says Lisbeth Guldbæk Smith, division manager of TTO.
What types of fast-track agreements are available?
• Agreement on co-funded research with a company or an academic institution (or another non-commercial party)
• Agreement on commissioned research (and other income-generating activities)
• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) – you can use this if you wish to enter into a dialogue about potential collaboration with an external partner (i.e. prior to actual collaboration), where confidential information will or may be exchanged
• Student agreements for student projects or internships.
If none of thefast-track agreements cover your needs, you are, as always, welcome to contact TTO.
Please feel free to spread the word to your colleagues.