A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), sometimes called a Confidential Disclosure Agreement (CDA), should be in place before you share or receive any non-public information with an outside party about a potential research project. You likely need an NDA if you plan to:
- Share a draft protocol, scope of work, or research plan with a potential sponsor/collaborator;
- Discuss unpublished ideas, preliminary data, or methods with an outside party;
- Review another organization's proprietary information to consider a collaboration.
An NDA sets the ground rules: what counts as confidential, how it can be used, and for how long. Without an NDA, the other party has no obligation to keep your ideas private.
Do not sign NDAs on behalf of the University. Submit your NDA request to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) through MyRA. See the OSP website for more information or contact the Contracts Services Team with any questions.
FEDERAL AGENCY ROUNDUP
Stay up-to-date and informed by visiting the Pitt Research Executive Orders and Federal Funding website.