Non‑Disclosure Agreement
Our Process For Exploring Industry Partnerships
- Timeline to completion:
1 week if using Dalhousie’s template NDA agreement. If substantial negotiations are required, a longer timeline can be expected.
- Parties involved:
OCIE manager, researcher(s), industry partner
- Download the template for the NDA [PDF 183 KB]
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is used to establish a confidential knowledge exchange between all parties. When there’s a strong case for collaborative partnership between a Dalhousie researcher and a company, an NDA allows for discussions involving detailed confidential and/or proprietary subject matter. NDAs are introduced early in a relationship, when the nature of the intended collaboration, scope of work, and timelines need to be established before a suitable agreement can be finalized.
*Note for researchers: you don’t need an NDA before consulting with OCIE or when informally discussing the possibility of a collaboration with an industry representative (provided you aren't disclosing confidential or proprietary information).
*An OCIE Manager will assist in navigating the process map below.
![A diagram outlining the process of facilitating a non-disclosure agreement between Dal researchers and a company partner. A diagram outlining the process of facilitating a non-disclosure agreement between Dal researchers and a company partner.](https://cdn.dal.ca/dept/research-services/OCIE/about/glossaryandresources/NonDisclosureAgreement/_jcr_content/contentPar/staticimage.adaptive.full.high.jpg/1607956099581.jpg)