Data Sharing or Transfer
Description
When any type of data or biospecimens owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are to be shared with anyone external to the institution, a legal agreement is needed to transfer custody and ownership of the data/specimens. Any data collected while a researcher is part of UIUC is considered UIUC data. An agreement is needed regardless of the identifiability of the data/specimens. Researchers, physicians, faculty members, and all University affiliates are not permitted to share University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign data without consulting the appropriate department(s) detailed in the OVCRI Data Transfer Guidance (link below).
If the data being shared was collected as part of a human subject research project, the IRB must sign off on the Transfer Agreement to ensure the sharing is consistent with the approved IRB application, the consent form (if applicable), and any applicable research regulations.
Sometimes the data being shared is not part of an ongoing study at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But, if the data was collected as part of a closed or archived human subject research project, the IRB will still need to review for consistency and sign off on the agreement. Additionally, there are times where the IRB is signing off on the agreement as a way of confirming an IRB application is not needed for this data sharing.
The IRB application and the consent form must detail any planned or potential data sharing. Informed consent guidance related to data sharing can be found in the OVCRI Data Transfer Guidance (link below) and in OPRS consent template language.
Related FAQs
- Is a Data Transfer and Use Agreement needed for de-identified data?
- If my research is Exempt to I need a Data Transfer and Use Agreement?