USC Offices Responsible for Handling Agreements with Industry and Other Collaborators
The following table provides a description of the most common types of agreements entered into by the University with companies and other external collaborators, as well as the office responsible for handling each type of agreement.
Agreements may be signed on behalf of the University only by authorized officers of the University with designated signature authority. The office responsible for handling each type of agreement will secure any needed reviews, approvals and signatures.
| Type of Agreement | Agreement Description | Responsible Office |
| Sponsored research agreement | Agreement to fund the performance of research or other scholarly activities at the University, other than clinical trials. | Contracts & Grants |
| Clinical trial agreement | Agreement to test a drug, other treatment, diagnostic, or medical device on human subjects at the University. | Clinical Trials Office |
| Subcontract agreement | Outgoing: Agreement where USC transfers a portion of the programmatic work of an award to a third party. Incoming: An agreement where a third party transfers a portion of the programmatic work of an award to USC. | Contracts & Grants |
| Unfunded research collaboration agreement | Agreement to perform research collaboratively with a third party in which each party funds its own resources. Also referred to as teaming agreements, or memorandum of understanding. | Contracts & Grants (if primary purpose is to jointly pursue funding arrangements) USC Stevens Center (if primary purpose is to develop intellectual property) General Counsel (other cases not covered above) |
| Industry affiliate agreement | Agreement for a University research group (center, institute, or laboratory) to provide several companies access to regular interactions with the research group, generally for payment of an annual fee. The companies are not granted any intellectual property rights under the agreement. Also referred to as memberships, sponsors, or underwriters. | General Counsel |
| Gift letter or gift agreement | Instrument committing to donate cash to the University or transfer to the University ownership in securities, materials, equipment, software or other tangible goods for no consideration and no reciprocal responsibilities on behalf of the University. | General Counsel |
| Patent license agreement | Agreement granting rights to use patents (including to a faculty startup). USC Stevens Institute also manages all other agreements or instruments related to the management of Universityowned patents, including inter-institutional agreements for management of jointly owned patents and instruments relating to the prosecution of patents. | USC Stevens Center |
| Material transfer agreement | Agreement for the delivery to, or receipt by, USC of research materials (for example, biological materials and samples, mice, or other material). | USC Stevens Center |
| Equipment acquisition agreement | Agreement for University to acquire equipment from a third party. | Purchasing (for all other equipment purchases) General Counsel (for borrowing equipment) |
| Equipment transfer agreement | Agreement for University to sell or lend University-owned equipment to a third party. | General Counsel (in consultation with Equipment Management) |
| Trademark license agreement | Agreement granting a third party the right to use a University-owned trademark (e.g., name, symbol, word, design) for the manufacture and sale of specific products. | Office of Trademark Licensing (for USC brand such as USC, Trojans, SC interlock logo, Trojan head logo, etc) USC Stevens Center (for mark associated with a University-owned invention or work of authorship) |
| Software license agreement | Agreement granting the right to use, modify or sell software, including open source software. | Purchasing (for execution by USC of third party software license agreement, even if at no cost) USC Stevens Center (for licensing of University-owned software) |
| Copyright license agreement | Agreement granting the right to copy, use, develop, create derivative works or sell courseware, multimedia or other copyrighted materials (e.g., photos, videos, recordings, publications, music). | USC Stevens Center (for University-owned materials) Purchasing (for execution by USC of third party copyright license agreement or permission that requires payment by the University) General Counsel (for use of third party materials at no charge) |
| Data use agreement | Agreement to provide rights to use data for research or education purposes. Also referred to as data transfer agreement. | USC Stevens Center Office of Compliance (if identifiable health information is to be shared) |
| Confidential disclosure agreement | Agreement to share nonpublic, confidential knowledge, or information; can be one-way (where one party provides confidential information) or two-way (where both parties exchange confidential information). | Contracts & Grants (if primary purpose is for research or other sponsored activities, excluding industry sponsored clinical trial) Clinical Trials Office (if primary purpose is for industry sponsor to disclose clinical trial protocol) USC Stevens Center (if primary purpose is to disclose University intellectual property for pursuing license or unfunded collaboration) General Counsel (other cases not covered above) |
| Service agreement or consulting agreement | Agreement to provide consulting or other services, including business services, testing (re-charge centers); work-for-hire; independent contractor agreements. | Purchasing (for services provided to USC) General Counsel (for services provided by USC) |
| Facilities use agreement | Agreement granting a company or other outside entity a limited right to enter and use facilities owned by USC, including lab facilities, for its own purposes. | General Counsel |
| Visiting scholars agreement | Agreement for non-USC researcher to perform research or other scholarly work at a University facility or for a USC researcher to perform research or other scholarly work at another academic facility, in either case for a limited period of time. | Faculty Affairs (subject to review by General Counsel of changes to University template) |