Handle a Non-disclosure Agreement

A company may ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to discuss a possible research project at Stanford. If you understand the NDA terms and are comfortable complying with them, you may sign on your own behalf.  Individual researchers do not have the authority to sign on behalf of the University or their departments.

Stanford generally does not sign NDAs (also called CDAs), as the University has an open environment and is not set up to maintain confidentiality.  If the agreement is related to your work at Stanford, the Industrial Contracts Office will review it for compliance with University research policies.

See more information on industry NDAs here. 

NDAs relating to industry clinical trials may be signed by the university, as many university personnel may need to review the trial protocol.  See more information on Industry Funded Clinical trials here.