Technology Transfer: Depositing Materials

In order to deposit materials at Addgene, we require a Deposit and Distribution Agreement to be signed by the depositing institution. This agreement allows us to archive an institution's materials and fulfill requests for those materials.

General Deposit Process

There are five key steps to complete this agreement.

1. The depositor (or providing scientist) starts the deposit by submitting plasmid information online.
2. Addgene sends a Deposit and Distribution Agreement to the Tech Transfer Office (TTO) where the depositor is affiliated. If we don’t have one on record, we’ll send it to the Principle Investigator (PI).
3. The office or person who is authorized to approve deposit agreements for the providing organization approves the Deposit and Distribution Agreement on behalf of the institution.
4. The agreement is approved.
5. Materials that pass our quality control process are made available to the scientific community.

Questionnaires

Some institutions may require additional information from researchers before approving a deposit agreement or MTA. Addgene can host questionnaires to save time for both scientists and institutions. Questionnaires can be a form with customized questions for researchers to fill out or a link to information and/or forms on your organization’s internal site. Examples of questionnaires and instructions on how to provide questionnaires for Addgene to host are available to download.

Questionnaire Guide 899.7 KB

Email us at about questionnaires.

Approvals for Deposit and Distribution Agreements

Deposits can be approved in one of two ways:

One-Time Deposit and Distribution Agreements

Addgene will generate a One-Time Deposit and Distribution Agreement after the researcher submits their plasmid information to Addgene. If we have a TTO or authorized office on file, we will send the agreement directly to this office. If we don't have an authorized office on file, we will send it to the PI, who must have it signed by an authorized signatory.

A One-Time Deposit and Distribution Agreement can be signed and returned as a PDF. If the TTO has requested it, Addgene can send the agreement to the TTO through an electronic signature process.

One-Time Deposit Agreement Sample 182.1 KB

Master Deposit and Distribution Agreements

A Master Deposit and Distribution Agreement lets an institution agree to terms once for all future deposits. To use a Master Deposit and Distribution Agreement, the institution must have an authorized, centralized office where we can send deposit notifications. This office can be a Technology Transfer Office, Office of Sponsored Programs, Office of Technology Development, Legal Office, or similar.

When an institution chooses to use a Master Deposit and Distribution Agreement, Addgene will provide a Tech Transfer Account for the TTO or authorized office to view and manage deposits.

After the Master Deposit and Distribution Agreement is signed, the authorized office will receive email notifications each time there is a new deposit.

The authorized office can then log into the Tech Transfer Account to manage them manually or set up auto-approval to make the process more efficient.

Master Deposit and Distribution Agreement Sample 259.8 KB

Email us at to set up a Master Deposit and Distribution Agreement.

Information for Scientists

Depositing with Addgene benefits both depositing institutions and researchers!

When a researcher deposits with Addgene, the depositing institution and researcher benefit from the following:

• MTA compliance and tracking
• Fulfillment of grant sharing requirements
• Time and money savings
• Archiving of data and materials
• Improved visibility for research

TTOs and scientists alike can find instructions and more about the benefits of depositing materials with Addgene.

Contact Us

We are always happy to help answer your questions.

Visit Addgene's Help Center for additional information or email us at:

• for questions about MTAs and requesting materials
• for questions about Deposit and Distribution Agreements, Master Agreements, or Tech Transfer Accounts