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FOR RESEARCH ADMINISTRATORS – Confidentiality Agreement Information

NDA FAQs
A company may ask a researcher to sign a confidentiality agreement (often called a Confidential Disclosure Agreement - CDA or Nondisclosure Agreement - NDA).  If the confidentiality agreement is related to the researcher’s work at Stanford, ICO will review it for compliance with University research policies as a courtesy to the researcher. ICO’s role is advisory only, and approval of or suggested changes to terms should not be considered legal advice. Researchers with concerns about certain terms should consider seeking the advice of their own counsel.

The researcher signs the agreement on his/her own behalf.  Stanford generally does not sign standalone confidentiality agreements, as the University has an open environment and is not set up to maintain  the confidentiality of discussions with a company about a potential research project.  Please note that individual researchers do not have the authority to sign on behalf of the University or their department. Research Policy Handbook.

The NDAs below may be used without review by ICO, if the company agrees to use them. 

• NDA for sharing Stanford information with a company
• NDA for receiving information from a company
• Mutual NDA

For confidentiality agreements that are unrelated to work at Stanford, the researcher should seek the advice of his/her own counsel.