Before discussing your discoveries, inventions, data, hypotheses or research and clinical ideas with industry, it is important to have a confidential disclosure agreement (CDA) or a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in place.

The CDA is entered into between Boston Children’s Hospital and another party to enable the disclosure of trade secrets or confidential information from Boston Children’s to the other party without losing IP rights. There are two types of CDAs:

  • In the one-way CDA, the party receiving confidential information contractually agrees to keep that information confidential and use it only for the intended purpose. The receiving party, however, must be careful to disclose only non-confidential information to the disclosing party, as that information is not obligated to remain confidential.
  • In the mutual or bi-lateral CDA, both parties are both disclosing and receiving confidential information. Each agrees to keep the other party’s information confidential and to use the information only for the intended purpose.

TIDO is available to answer questions and to put a CDA in place by calling 617-919-3019 or by emailing tido@childrens.harvard.edu.