Non-Disclosure Agreement

Communication is the foundation of any relationship, and that's how the University of Louisville approaches its relationships with industry partners. To facilitate more detailed and meaningful exchanges of capabilities and interests between yourself and the investigator while protecting each's interests, we offer nondisclosure agreements (NDA) to its industry partners.

We will work with you to ensure that the NDA to be signed between your company and the University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc. fits the purpose of your interaction, and that the terms help us both achieve our goals.

arrowdown Who is a party to the NDA?

The University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc. (ULRF) is the legal entity which enters into NDAs on behalf of the University of Louisville with your company. Individual faculty and staff, researchers and students do not have the authority to bind the university to contractual agreements.

arrowdownHow do I request an NDA with the university?

Non-clinical NDAs are handled by a team of negotiators in the Commercialization EPI-Center and Office of Sponsored Programs Administration. To request a new NDA, please contact our non-clinical NDA service account at thinker@louisville.edu. We will contact you promptly to provide guidance on the agreement’s next steps or to request additional information from you, if necessary.

Please feel free to call 502.852.3788 with any questions you might have.

arrowdownWho can sign an NDA?

Only individuals who are formally authorized to sign agreements on behalf of your company and ULRF can bind the institution. This may include your legal department, executive officers anyone within your company with this level of authorization and who represents its interests. For ULRF, faculty, staff and students are not authorized to sign agreements on its behalf.

arrowdownHow do I protect confidential information?

Above all, the security of privileged information depends on the care and discretion exercised by those individuals who receive and use it. When accessing or using confidential or proprietary information:

  • Think about what is confidential. It may include oral, visual, and tangible forms of materials, as well as written documents.
  • Use confidential information only for the intended purpose, and share it only with those individuals who are approved recipients/users of such information.
  • Clearly mark appropriate documents and emails as CONFIDENTIAL - insert a CONFIDENTIAL watermark into documents, include CONFIDENTIAL in the subject lines of your emails.
  • Secure confidential documents whenever you are away from your workplace, whether for a short time or overnight. Hard copies should be stored in a locked cabinet in a locked office, accessible only to those who are authorized to use it. Confidential information in electronic form should only be stored and accessed on a password-protected computer.
  • Make certain that all employees and students are properly advised and trained concerning the use and protection of confidential information.