SUBJECT:

New Online Material Transfer Agreement Request System (eMTA)

The Office of Research Affairs is pleased to announce that a new electronic system for Material Transfer Agreements will be available for use beginning Thursday, November 1st, 2012. The Office of Contract & Grant Administration, Technology Transfer Office, and UC San Diego's Electronic Research Administration Program (eRAP) designed the new system from the ground up, with help from numerous labs across the UC San Diego campus, to make the MTA process more efficient and streamlined. The electronic system replaces the current paper-based process.

MTAs are legal agreements between UC San Diego and external parties that establish terms and conditions for the transfer of tangible research materials and, more importantly, protect the rights of both the researchers and the university.

With its user-friendly interface and branching 'smart forms,' the new eMTA system will:

* Reduce time researchers and support staff currently spend filling out forms
* Accelerate the internal review and approval process for MTA transactions
* Provide real-time visibility of the status of all new MTA requests
* Create a permanent record of the transaction.

For more information about the eMTA system, please visit the MTA website http://mta.ucsd.edu, or contact Nicole Joyce at njoyce@ucsd.edu / 858-534-9112.

Sandra Brown Vice Chancellor for Research