A User Agreement is a contract between each user’s home institution and Berkeley Lab, covering the distribution of intellectual property rights, liability for use of DOE User Facilities, and additional details. A fully-executed agreement is required before work on the user project can begin. You can check the status of your User Agreement by logging into the user portal dashboard. If your organization has not established an agreement, the Foundry User Office will support you in setting one up.
Non-Proprietary User Agreement
Nearly all user projects at the Foundry are non-proprietary. Under the Non-Proprietary User Agreement (NPUA), all incoming data and data generated is non-proprietary; all results can be freely published and shared; and users are performing work on the project either alone or in collaboration with Foundry staff. There is no cost to users unless the project requires significant staff effort or expenses above and beyond an ordinary user project. An NPUA serves as an umbrella agreement for all approved user projects from the same institution.
See sample NPUA. Contact the Foundry User Office for more information.
Proprietary User Agreement
The Foundry also offers a mechanism for users to perform proprietary work, which requires an approved, peer-reviewed proposal and a Proprietary User Agreement (PUA). Under a PUA, incoming user data may be proprietary; the user may keep their generated research results private; the user performs all research on the project; and Foundry staff may provide technical assistance but do not generate or review data. The user pays for the full costs of use of the facility and staff assistance. A PUA is negotiated for each approved user project.
See sample PUA. Contact the Foundry User Office for more information.
In some rare instances, an alternate type of contract between the user home institution and Berkeley Lab may take the place of a User Agreement. To learn about Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) and Strategic Partnership Programs (SPP) agreements, see the Berkeley Lab Strategic Partnerships Office.
Next: Resource Allocation for User Proposals
