DATA TRANSFER AND USE AGREEMENTS (DTUAs)

DTUA Templates and Tools

All resources are periodically reviewed and updated by the Data Stewardship Subcommittee with the effort and support of its various working groups, with input from the FDP membership. Revised versions are posted to this page as needed. Subscribe to the FDP Data Stewardship listserv to stay informed of changes, information, and updates.

DTUA Working Group History and Purpose

The DTUA templates and samples were created to increase consistency in terms and format of DTUAs, thus reducing associated administrative burden and negotiations. These templates and samples currently developed are intended to facilitate the transfer/sharing of research data between U.S.-based nonprofit and/or governmental organizations for research or public health purposes. The DTUA templates/samples are designed to be flexible enough for use in sharing multiple different types of data which may be subject to differing requirements under law and/or regulation.

The original DTUA template was released in 2017 by a working group that included at least one representative from approximately 30 member institutions and 2 individuals from Federal agencies. In the initial drafting stage, the working group reviewed 15 sample DTUAs provided by member institutions and leveraged language and formatting from other widely accepted templates, such as the Universal Biological Material Transfer Agreement (UBMTA) and the FDP Research Subaward Agreement. The initial template was validated with a one-year pilot involving nearly 40 FDP organizations.

For more information, see Science article, Waiting for data: Barriers to executing data use agreements (Michelle M. Mello et al., Waiting for data: Barriers to executing data use agreements. Science 367,150-152(2020). DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz7028).

Questions?

See FAQs and guidance documents below, or contact the Data Transfer and Use Agreement (DTUA) Working Group, a working group within the Data Stewardship Subcommittee, at DTUA@thefdp.org.

The FDP makes no representations or warranties regarding the suitability of these templates and samples for any use. The Data Provider is responsible for ensuring all appropriate terms and conditions are included. These documents are not intended for transfers of materials or transfers of data to for-profit or non-US entities. All parties utilize these documents at their own risk.