Industrial Contracts Office
3000 El Camino Real
Building 5, Suite 300
Palo Alto, CA 94306
ico@stanford.edu
FOR RESEARCHERS – Confidentiality Agreement Information
A company may ask you to sign a confidentiality agreement (often called a Confidential Disclosure Agreement - CDA or Nondisclosure Agreement - NDA). If the confidentiality agreement is related to your work at Stanford, ICO will review it for compliance with University research policies and practices as a courtesy to you. ICO’s role is advisory only, and approval of or suggested changes to terms should not be considered legal advice. If you have concerns about certain terms, you should consider seeking the advice of your own counsel.
If you understand the terms and are comfortable complying with them, you may sign on your 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 between a company and a researcher for a potential research project. Please note you do not have the authority to sign on behalf of the University or your department. For more information, see the University’s Research Policy Handbook.
The NDAs below may be used without ICO’s input, if the company accepts them.
For confidentiality agreements that are unrelated to your work at Stanford, please seek the advice of your own counsel.