Exhibit 4.1
RESEARCH COLLABORATION AGREEMENT
— INVENTIONS AND MATERIALS
—
This Agreement, effective as
of , 2005 (the
“Effective Date”), is between the University of
Massachusetts Lowell (“UML” or
“Institution”), a public institution of higher
education of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and MFIC
Corporation, a Delaware corporation
(“Sponsor”),
WHEREAS: UML has identified
Sponsor’s proprietary Microfluidizer® processor and
Microfluidizer® Mixer/Reactor technology as a potentially
important sizing and reaction process component to its
nanomanufacturing initiative,
WHEREAS: UML desires to evaluate
this premise via research and development using Microfluidizer
equipment,
WHEREAS: MIFC desires to evaluate
their Microfluidizer® materials processor and
Microfluidizer® Mixer/Reactor technologies for
nanomanufacturing opportunities,
THEN: Institution and Sponsor
hereby agree to this Research Collaboration Agreement as defined by
the following terms:
1.
Definitions
.
1.1.
“ Confidential
Information ” means confidential or proprietary
information furnished by one party (the “Disclosing
Party”) to the other party (the “Receiving
Party”) in connection with the performance of the Research
Project, provided that the information is specifically designated
as confidential. Confidential Information includes, without
limitation, trade secrets, know-how, inventions, technical data or
specifications, testing methods, and research and development
activities.1.2. “ Indemnitees ”
means either Institution and its trustees, officers, faculty,
students, employees, and agents and their respective successors,
heirs and assigns of Sponsor and its directors, officers,
employees, and agents and their respective successors, heirs and
assigns.
1.3.
“ Inventions ”
means any potentially patentable or copyrightable innovation based
on the Research Results, which is conceived during the term of this
Agreement by employees of Institution or Sponsor.
1.4.
“ Materials ”
means any tangible materials, including recorded data, writings,
etc.
1.5.
“ Patent Rights ”
means all United States and foreign patent applications claiming an
Invention, including any divisional, continuation,
continuation-in-part (to the extent that the
claims are directed to an Invention), and
foreign equivalents thereof, as well as any patents issued thereon
or reissues or reexaminations thereof. “ Institution
Patent Rights ” means Patent Rights claiming Inventions
that are conceived or reduced to practice solely by employees of
Institution or by employees of Sponsor utilizing Institution
facilities, as determined under the patent laws of the United
States, and assigned to Institution. “ Joint Patent
Rights ” means Patent Rights claiming Inventions that are
conceived or reduced to practice jointly by employees of
Institution and employees of Sponsor, as determined under the
patent laws of the United States, and assigned to institution or
Sponsor.
1.6.
“ Principal
Investigator ” means an employee of Institution who has
primary responsibility for the performance of the Research Project.
The Principal Investigator is identified in Section 2.1
below.
1.7.
“ Proprietary Materials
” means any proprietary Materials other than Project
Materials that are furnished by one party (the
“Supplier”) to the other party (the
“Recipient”) in connection with performance of the
Research Project.
1.8.
“ Research Project
” means the activities described on Exhibit A
(“Description of Research Project”), which Institution
agrees to perform under the terms and conditions of this
Agreement.
1.9.
“ Research Results
” means all data, test results, laboratory notes, techniques,
know-how, and any other information obtained in the performance of
the Research Project. The term “Research Results” does
not include Project Materials, patentable inventions, copyrighted
or copyrightable works, trademarks or service marks, or other
intellectual property based on the Research Results. As a matter of
policy, Institution ordinarily will not assert trade secret
protection for Research Results.
1.10.
“ Technical
Representative ” means an individual designated by
Sponsor as its principal contact for consultation and
communications with Institution and the Principal Investigator. The
Technical Representative is identified in Section 2.1
below.
2.
Performance of Research
Project .
2.1.
Principal Investigator and
Technical Representative . Dr. Robert Nicolosi, who shall serve as
the Project Manager, will have overall responsibility for the
Research Project and will be one of the three faculty
representatives that serve on the Advisory Committee. The Principal
Investigator shall be Dr. Julie Chen, Director – UML
Nanomanufacturing Center. She will manage the interaction
required to identify specific research initiatives recommended by
the Advisory Committee to be set up under this agreement.
This Advisory Committee will be composed of Dr. Chen,
Dr. Nicolosi and one other faculty representative and two
Technical Representatives of Sponsor. When a project is identified,
Dr. Chen will recommend a specific Principal Investigator for
that project. If Dr. Chen ceases to serve as Principal
Investigator for any reason, Institution will promptly notify
Sponsor and Institution and Sponsor shall use good faith efforts to
identify a mutually acceptable replacement within sixty (60) days.
If a suitable replacement Principal Investigator cannot be
identified within the sixty-day period, Sponsor may
terminate this Agreement as provided in
Section 6.2. The Sponsor may change its Technical
Representative upon thirty (30) days written notice to
Institution.
2.2.
Performance of Research
Project . Institution
shall use reasonable efforts to complete the Research Project;
however, Institution makes no warranties regarding the completion
of the Research Project or the achievement of any particular
results. The Technical Representative may consult informally with
the Principal Investigator, both in person and by telephone,
regarding the performance of the Research Project. The Institution
shall provide the Technical Representative reasonable access to
Institution facilities where the Research Project is being
conducted.
2.3
Records, Materials, and
Reports . The Project
Manager shall prepare and maintain records containing all Research
Results, including laboratory notebooks maintained in accordance
with customary academic practice. During the term of this
Agreement, at his/her convenience, the Principal Investigator shall
provide the Technical Representative reasonable access to research
records, and the Project Manager shall furnish Sponsor, upon
request, reasonable amounts of any Project Materials, subject to
availability. Within ninety (90) days after the expiration or
termination of this Agreement, the Principal Investigator shall
deliver to sponsor a final report describing all significant
Research Results in reasonable detail. However, the Principal
Investigator may extend this ninety-day deadline for a period of up
to an additional thirty (30) days with the consent of Sponsor,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
3.
Responsibilities of
Sponsor .
3.1.
Contributions to Research
Project . Sponsor shall
contribute to the Research Project the support, equipment,
personnel, technology, and other resources listed on
Exhibit B (“Sponsor Contributions”).
Sponsor may also furnish Institution and the Principal Investigator
with certain Confidential Information or Proprietary Materials,
which shall remain the property of Sponsor. Institution and the
Principal Investigator reserve the right to refuse to accept any
Confidential Information or Proprietary Materials offered by
Sponsor. Exhibit C (“Sponsor Value
Contribution to the Research Collaboration Agreement”)
provides an estimated value of $545,000 as Sponsor’s
contribution to this collaboration.
3.2.
Consideration to
Institution . The primary
consideration is related to access to the Microfluidizer
technologies for purposes of evaluation in UML’s
Nanomanufacturing program directed towards new product applications
and formulations.
In addition, for each project
approved by the Advisory Committee, MFIC will bear the first $3,000
for each discrete project. Any additional monies required for
the project will be provided by UML if the monies are
available. A Project will proceed only if the Scope of Work,
appropriate joint UML and MFIC personnel, a budget, and funds are
available.
4.
Confidential Information:
Proprietary Materials: Publications .
4.1.
Confidential
information .
(a) Designation .
Confidential Information that is disclosed in writing shall be
marked with a legend (such as, “Confidential” or
“Proprietary”), indicating its
confidential status. Confidential
Information that is disclosed orally or visually shall be
designated as such at the time of its disclosure and shall be
documented in a written notice prepared by the Disclosing Party and
delivered as soon as possible to the Receiving Party but at latest
within thirty (30) days of the date of disclosure; the notice shall
summarize the Confidential Information disclosed to the Receiving
Party and reference the time and place of disclosure.
(b) Obligations .
During the term of this Agreement and thereafter for a period of
five (5) years, the Receiving Party shall (i) maintain
all Confidential Information in confidence, except that the
Receiving Party may disclose or permit the disclosure of
Confidential Information to its directors, officers, employees,
consultants, and advisors who are obligated to maintain the
confidential nature of Confidential Information and who need to
know Confidential Information for the performance of the Research
Project; (ii) use all Confidential Information solely for the
performance or furtherance of the Research Project; and
(iii) allow its directors, officers, employees, consultants,
and advisors to reproduce the Confidential Information only to the
extent necessary for performance of the Research Project, with all
reproductions being considered Confidential Information.
(c) Exceptions .
The obligations of the Receiving Party under
Section 4.1.(b) above do not apply to the extent that the
Receiving Party can demonstrate that Confidential Information
(i) was in the public domain prior to the time of its
disclosure under this Agreement; however this exception shall not
apply to any specific information merely because it is included in
more general non-confidential information, nor to any specific
combination of information merely because individual elements, but
not the combination, are included in non-confidential information,
(ii) entered the public domain after the time of its
disclosure under this Agreement through means other than an
unauthorized disclosure resulting from an act or omission by the
Receiving Party; (iii) was independently developed or
discovered by the Receiving Party without use of the Confidential
Information, (iv) is or was disclosed to the Receiving Party
at any time by a third party having no fiduciary relationship with
the Disclosing Party and having no obligation of confidentiality
with respect to the Confidential Information; or (v) is, in
the opinion of legal counsel to the Receiving Party required to be
disclosed to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or with a
court or administrative order, provided that the Disclosing Party
receives reasonable prior written notice of that disclosure in
order to afford the Disclosing Party the opportunity, at election
and expense of the Disclosing Party, to respond to such request and
/or to attempt to block such disclosure. Further, if such
disclosure is compelled the Receiving Party shall disclose only the
minimum of the Confidential Information that is required to be
disclosed to comply with such order, law or regulation.
(d) Ownership and
Return . The Receiving Party acknowledges that the Disclosing
Party (or any third party entrusting its own information to the
Disclosing Party) owns its Confidential Information in the
possession of the Receiving Party. Upon the expiration or
termination of this Agreement or at the request of the Disclosing
Party, the Receiving party shall return to the Disclosing Party all
originals, copies, and summaries of documents, materials, and other
tangible manifestations of Confidential Information in
the possession or control of the
Receiving Party, except that the Receiving Party may retain one
(1) copy of the Confidential Information in the possession of
its legal counsel solely for the purpose of monitoring its
obligations under this Agreement.
4.2.
Proprietary Materials
.
(a) Limited Use and
Transfer . The Recipient shall use Proprietary Materials only
for the performance of the Research Project. The Recipient shall
use the Proprietary Materials only in compliance with all
applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The
Recipient shall not use the Proprietary Materials in any in
vivo experiments on human subjects. The Recipient shall not
transfer any Proprietary Materials to any third party without the
prior written consent of the Supplier.
(b) Warranty
Disclaimer . THE SUPPLIER MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, AND
EXTENDS NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO PROPRIETARY MATERIALS. THERE ARE NO
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR THAT THE USE OF PROPRIETARY MATERIALS WILL
NOT INFRINGE ANY PATENT RIGHTS OR OTHER PROPRIETARY RIGHTS OF A
THIRD PARTY.
(c) The Recipient acknowledges
that the Supplier (or any third party entrusting its Materials to
the Supplier) claims ownership of its Proprietary Materials in the
possession of the Recipient. The Recipient agrees to cause its
employees to execute and deliver any documents of assignment or
conveyance to effectuate the ownership rights of the Supplier in
Proprietary Materials. Upon the expiration or termination of this
Agreement, the Recipient shall at the instruction of Supplier
either destroy or return any unused Proprietary
Materials.
4.3.
Publications
. Institution and its employees may
publicly disclose (through journals, lectures, or otherwise) the
Research Results, provided that the Institution shall have provided
a copy of the proposed disclosure to Sponsor at least sixty (60)
days prior to the submission of any written publication and
at least thirty (30) days prior to any oral public disclosure (the
“Review Period “) to allow Sponsor to determine whether
any Invention or its Confidential Information would be disclosed.
The parties expressly agree that research grant proposals submitted
to federal, state, or local agencies or non-profit organizations
should not be subject to review under this Section. If Sponsor
reasonably determines that the proposed disclosure would reveal an
Invention or Sponsor Confidential Information, then Sponsor shall
notify Institution and the Principal Investigator of the
determination and its basis prior to the expiration of the Review
Period. With respect to disclosure of an Invention, upon receipt of
timely notice by Sponsor, the Institution agrees to delay
submission of the written publication or presentation of the oral
public disclosure until one (1) of the following events
occurs: (i) Sponsor and Institution agree that no patentable
Invention exists; (ii) Institution or Sponsor files a patent
application claiming the relevant Invention pursuant to
Article 5; (iii) Sponsor and Institution jointly agree
upon deletions that prevent disclosure of any Invention; or
(iv) a period of sixty (60) days elapses commencing with the
effective date of notice to Institution. With respect to disclosure
of Sponsor Confidential
Information, upon receipt of timely notice by
Sponsor, the Institution shall use reasonable efforts to cause its
employees to delete the Confidential Information from any proposed
disclosure.
5.0
Intellectual Property
.
The parties agree to the following:
5.1.
Assignment of Rights in
Inventions and Project Materials . Either the Principal Investigator or the
Project Manager, as appropriate, shall assign to Institution all
rights in Inventions and commercial rights in Project Materials.
The Principal Investigator shall certify that every person involved
in the Research Project shall have signed the University
Participation Agreement, which assigns to Institution all rights in
Inventions and commercial rights in Project Materials. Sponsor
represents and warrants that all of its employees and consultants
who may be involved in the Research Project shall have agreed to
assign to Sponsor all rights in Inventions and all commercial
rights in Project Materials.
5.2.
0wnership of Patent Rights and
Project Materials . In
accordance with United States patent law, Institution shall have
sole ownership of all Institution Patent Rights and Institution and
Sponsor shall have joint, undivided ownership of all Joint Patent
Rights. Institution shall have sole ownership of commercial rights
in Project Materials not claimed in the Patent Rights; however, if
a Project Material incorporates one or more Sponsor Proprietary
Materials, Institution may not exploit commercial rights in that
Project Material without the written consent of Sponsor.
5.3.
Notice of Inventions and Project
Materials . The Principal
Investigator or the Project Manager, as appropriate, shall promptly
disclose to Institution the conception or reduction to practice of
any Invention and the development or discovery of any commercially
valuable Project Material that is not otherwise disclosed as an
Invention. Institution and Sponsor shall provide prompt written
notice to the other of the internal disclosure by its employees of
any Invention. Institution and Sponsor shall discuss whether to
obtain Patent Rights for the Invention and whether the Patent
Rights would constitute Institution Patent Rights or Joint Patent
Rights. Institution shall provide prompt written notice to Sponsor
of the internal disclosure of any commercially valuable Project
Material that is not otherwise disclosed as an
Invention.
5.4.
Responsibility for Patent
Rights .
Subject to any Inter-Institutional Patent
Management Agreement resulting from joint inventions, the following
procedures will be followed.
(a) Primary
Responsibility with Institution . Institution shall have
primary responsibility for the preparation, filing, prosecution,
and maintenance of all Institution Patent Rights, using patent
counsel reasonably