ICD Project Timeline

There are no strict deadlines for most of the agreements ICD handles.  Your Officer will keep you updated about the process, but usually can’t offer specific timelines due to the variability of contracts among the large number of entities that ICD work with. 

No matter the agreement, notify your Officer as soon as you believe you may need an agreement for your project.  Notify the ICD Officer and Budget Analyst of any pending   deadlines.

Timeline variables:  A number of factors may affect how long a given contract may take to complete.  Any of the following points has the potential to extend negotiations and date of completion.  It is reasonable to assume these processes take time to provide or receive feedback.

  • ICD must have certain documents from the PI to start working on most agreements, and/or prior to signing most agreements.
  • The ICD Officer needs time to review the agreement. 
  • Frequently, ICD Officers and PIs need to communicate regarding the progress of the contract.
  • The agreement may require other UCSF departments to review
  • ICD Officers and Sponsor will need to communicate, create a dialogue, and negotiate the terms of the agreement. 
  • UCSF and Sponsors have internal policies and requirements to work through.  We have flexibility and intend to arrive at mutually agreed terms.  However, there are limits to what we can accept.
  • Each agreement is reviewed as unique to its corresponding research project, so we cannot always rely on previously negotiated terms.

Agreements may take a few days or months, depending on these variables.  The following are generalizations about each agreement type: Confidential Disclosure Agreements (CDAs) typically require the shortest time to complete; Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) and Data Transfer Agreements (DTAs) take slightly longer; and funded agreements like Sponsored Research Agreements (SRAs), may take longer.

Clinical Trial Agreements (CTAs) are in a class of their own and are more dependent on the Office of Clinical Trial Activation (OCTAs) and its timeframe.  Negotiating a CTA carries additional variables such as:

  • Complying with foreign laws
  • Reaching out to internal departments for feedback
  • Requesting detailed information from PIs