A Master Agreement is an agreement between a company and a university that allows for the funding of more than one research project over the course of time. Although Master Agreements can take longer to negotiate than a single-project research agreement, they may be helpful in developing long-term strategic relationships with sponsors.
A Master Agreement can be developed for research projects, collaborations, clinical trials, testing, and other purposes. It is probably best to avoid trying to make a Master Agreement too broad because it can be difficult to develop IP terms that are appropriate for different types of projects.
Many Master Agreements last for 5 years or more. It is nice for the sponsoring relationship to be able to continue for a period of time without the pressure to renegotiate the agreement. If the parties are both happy with the terms of the Master Agreement at the end of the term, then the term can be extended with an agreement modification.
As with any research agreement, a lot of negotiation will probably center on the specific intellectual property terms involved. Companies also have concerns about the timing of publications. They don't want publications to put their intellectual property in jeopardy. If an invention has been published, then it is no longer patentable in most countries. Thus, it is extremely important to work with sponsors to ensure they have the opportunity to protect intellectual property before academic works are published.
If you have any questions about using a Master Agreement at your university, contact your sponsored programs office in the university's office of research.
