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Collaborative Agreement

GuidanceÌý

This document provides guidance for ¶®É«µÛ faculty, staff, and administrators on when and how to initiate a Collaborative Agreement for research and sponsored programs. Collaborative Agreements define the roles, responsibilities, and compliance obligations of ¶®É«µÛ and external partners when engaging in research collaborations.

When to Use the Agreement

A Collaborative Agreement must be initiated when:

  • ¶®É«µÛ and one or more external institutions or organizations will jointly perform research or project activities under a grant or sponsored program.
  • The collaboration involves a mutual exchange of research materials, data, or expertise, but does not take the form of a subcontract or subaward.
  • The collaboration is generally unfunded or involves non-financial exchanges, such as shared data, samples, or personnel effort.

Initiating a Collaborative Agreement

This process ensures that all Collaborative Agreements at ¶®É«µÛ are compliant with federal regulations, sponsor requirements, and institutional policies, while protecting the interests of ¶®É«µÛ and its collaborators.

Timeline: Please allow 10 business days for drafting/review. Complex negotiations or agreements involving IRB/IACUC approvals may require additional time.

  • Faculty/PI determines that an external partnership requires a Collaborative Agreement. 
  • Confirm the activity is not more appropriately covered by another agreement type (e.g., Subaward, MTA, DUA, CDA).
  • A Scope of Work (SOW) will be completed by the PI and routed to OSPAR and Legal for review.

Email grants@nyit.edu with:

  • Name project title and sponsor (if applicable).
  • Identify the Collaborating institution/organization name and contact.
  • Submit SOW.
  • Provide OSPAR with a draft agreement if one was issued by the collaborator.

  • OSPAR reviews the SOW and determines if a Collaborative Agreement is appropriate.
  • OSPAR coordinates with the Office of General Counsel to prepare or review the agreement.

  • Legal review and negotiation occur between ¶®É«µÛ and the collaborator’s legal/administrative office.
  •  Key issues: scope, data ownership/confidentiality, IP rights, publication, and compliance.

  • Faculty/staff are NOT authorized to sign on behalf of ¶®É«µÛ.
  • Final agreements must be signed by ¶®É«µÛ’s authorized institutional officials.
  • Collaboration may begin only after full execution.

Key Contacts