A Confidentiality Disclosure Agreement (CDA) is designed to protect the confidential information that may be released between a project Sponsor and the faculty and staff of UAB for the purposes of determining whether or not to enter into a subsequent agreement for a clinical trial (CTA). Sometimes these agreements are called Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA’s). CDA’s are generally requested by Sponsors before disclosing a study protocol or other information that the Sponsor considers proprietary. CDA’s can be one-way (UAB is only receiving information) or mutual (UAB is receiving and disclosing information). Not all Sponsors require a CDA prior to disclosing confidential information.
The Academic Research Organization for Clinical Trials (ARO-CT), in cooperation with the Office of Counsel, negotiates and processes all of the CDA’s for UAB pertaining to disclosures in regard to prospective industry sponsored clinical trials involving UAB faculty, staff or resources. UAB faculty and staff are not listed as parties to a CDA. UAB enters into these agreements on behalf of our employees.
Upon receipt of a CDA from a Sponsor, submit the CDA to My UAB Research following the instructions found here so that it can be negotiated with terms consistent with UAB policies and procedures. The ARO-CT will obtain an institutional signature on the fully negotiated CDA. Principal Investigators and Departmental staff are not parties to the agreement and are not authorized to sign a CDA on behalf of UAB.
The ARO-CT is available to answer any question you may have about Confidentiality or Non-Disclosure Agreements. Contact your department/division officer for assistance.
Last updated: August 14, 2026