Researchers who wish to send material out of the country must comply with the following procedure before the material may be sent:
- Notify rachel [at] mrl [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Rachel Behrens) in writing of your need to send the material. Include in this notification a scientific description of the material, the quantity to be sent, and to whom it will be sent.
- Please check the Commerce Control List at http://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/regulations/commerce-control-list-ccl to make sure your samples are not on the list. Send to rachel [at] mrl [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Rachel Behrens) a statement by e-mail that you didn’t find them on the list.
- Rachel will work with the exportcontrol [at] research [dot] ucsb [dot] edu">UCSB Office of Research to help you to determine if an export license is required for shipment. Rachel will notify you when you have permission to ship the material. Based on our experience, we would estimate that it will take approximately one or two weeks to obtain approval.
- Please get a signed MTA (Materials Transfer Agreement) by the UCSB Office of Research if necessary.
- For samples shipped in US you don’t need to check the Commerce Control List or get an export license but you should consider MTA.
A Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) is a contract that governs the transfer of tangible research between two organizations, when the recipient intends to use it for his or her own research purposes, and when no research collaboration between scientists is planned.
An MTA is important because it sets out the parameters under which the research material may be used. MTA received from other organizations may include terms that affect the researcher’s ability to publish or control his/her discoveries or may carry heavy administrative burdens. These terms must be removed through careful negotiation. Please note: Individual researchers are NOT authorized to sign MTAs.
For guidance on when an MTA is required, please see the following link: http://tia.ucsb.edu/industry/research/material-transfer-agreements/. For assistance with MTAs, please contact nakano [at] tia [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Jenna Nakano), the MTA Officer for UCSB.