Collaboration Process

Division of Research > Industry Collaboration > Collaborative Process > For Faculty > Develop and Submit Agreement

Process of Collaboration at the University of Maryland

Develop and Submit Agreement

All sponsored agreements need to be processed for approval through ORAA. Sponsored agreements are contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements that represent an exchange transaction, where the sponsor receives some form of consideration in return for the funding. In contracts, the University is required to provide goods or services in exchange for payment. Grants or cooperative agreements require the University to provide technical and/or financial reporting to the sponsor on the results of research or other sponsored activity.

Types of Agreements

GRANTS are financial assistance instruments that provide the researcher with significant flexibility to determine spending categories and research direction. Grants are usually made in support of basic research, training, or workshop support, requiring technical and financial reports rather than specifying definite services or product deliverables. They typically come from a corporation, foundation or other organization, not an individual, and are awarded in response to a proposal submitted by the University. Unlike cooperative agreements, grants do not require substantial programmatic involvement between the parties. Federal grants are governed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Cost and Accounting Circulars and by each individual agency's grants policy document.

A COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT is an arrangement where both parties are involved in carrying out a portion of the research. Cooperative agreements generally stipulate the responsibilities of both parties. Federal cooperative agreements are governed by the same regulations as Federal grants.

In CONTRACTS, one party is buying a service or product from the other in exchange for payment. Contracts assume the production and delivery of a specific product that can be an instrument, device, or technical report. Consequently, contract requirements are more specific and less flexible than grants and agency personnel tend to maintain stricter oversight. Federal contracts are governed by the Federal Acquisition Regulations, as well as specific terms and conditions in each contract document.

Sample Industry Agreement

ORAA has created a sample agreement template for use when UM faculty and industry are ready to enter a sponsored research agreement. This agreement can be downloaded from here.

Guide to Industry

Many broad principles and policies are applicable to research agreements between UM and industrial and commercial organizations. The Guide to Industry attempts to consolidate can clarify the university's position as a publicly supported educational institution.

Proposal Handbook

This handbook contains most of the policies and procedures that relate to sponsored service and training at The University of Maryland Campus at College Park. It covers development of proposals, review of proposals, and submission of proposals soliciting support, and the establishment and administration of sponsored project accounts. It is available here.

Routing Form

Once a proposal has been developed, it must be routed through the faculty member's department and Dean for approval before coming to ORAA for University approval. To facilitate this process, please use the Routing Form, available here.