Negotiating and Signing Authority for Agreements Related to Research

  • Effective Date: December 1, 2018
  • Updated: May 2, 2023
  • Responsible Office: Office for Sponsored Programs

Introduction

This document is to be used as a guide when determining the responsible parties for coordinating the review and signature of research-related agreements at Harvard. To the extent an agreement type listed herein arises outside of the research context, the named parties may still be consulted for guidance. Please note that, pursuant to University policy, certain agreement types mandate review by additional stakeholders within the University (e.g. review by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs is required for all agreements with foreign sovereign governments). In addition to any such required review, the responsible parties shall consult with the appropriate offices within the University, including the Office of General Counsel and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, on an as needed basis to ensure the terms and scope of all agreements align with the University’s mission and applicable policies.

View the full Negotiating and Signing Authority for Agreements Related to Research document.

Contacts

Revision History

  • Removed Introduction – purpose now described in footnote #1.
  • Removed Contact/Responsible Office section and links – document is maintained by the Harvard-wide Negotiation Policy Committee, under supervision of SALC EC.
  • Modifications to the following Contact types:
    • Agreements to hire external Consultants or other Independent Contractors to perform work at or for Harvard – text and footnote updated.
    • Confidentiality Agreements or Non-Disclosure (NDA) Agreements – text updated, new row added for NDAs relating to procurement, and footnote updated.
    • Consulting or Related Service Agreements through the University – text updated, existing footnote updated and new footnote added.
    • Equipment Loan Agreements
    • Incoming Beta Use Agreements
    • Incoming Software License Agreements – text updated and new row added for SaaS agreements and EULAs.
    • Intellectual Property License Agreements – incoming and outgoing listed separately.
    • Outgoing awards under Gift funding – clarification moved from footnote.
    • Sponsored and Non-Funded Research/Collaboration Agreements (foreign government)
    • Vendor Agreements – separate rows for industry and non-profit sponsors/collaborators; updated footnote for vendor agreements under non-profit.
  • Footnote numbering changed; footnotes v, vi, and vii deleted/incorporated into other sections.
  • Added list of abbreviations used within the document.
  • Updated version date to 5/2/2023 (see footer).