Institutional Collaboration Agreement — QBA-ICA-001

Document Reference: QBA-ICA-001  ·  Framework Version 1.0  ·  April 2026  ·  Executed as a bespoke agreement per institution  ·  Drafted by QBA at no cost to the institution

An open invitation to public science institutions. Quadros Bio Advisory Inc. recognises that the world’s most important knowledge about agricultural biologicals sits inside public research institutions — in the hands of scientists who have spent careers in the field. QBA exists to translate that science into investment clarity. This Institutional Collaboration Agreement framework is how we make that partnership work, properly and without friction, for every institution involved.

The QBA-ICA-001 is drafted by QBA at no cost to the institution. QBA absorbs the drafting and legal work because we believe the collaboration itself is worth more than any administrative fee, and because we want every barrier removed for the institutions whose expertise makes our work credible.

Who This Agreement Is For

The QBA-ICA-001 is designed for federal public research institutions, federal universities, and equivalent bodies in Brazil, Canada, and the United States whose researchers and scientists wish to participate in the QBA Expert Network or the QBA Brazilian Network platform. Specifically, this includes:

  • Brazil: EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária) and its 46 research units; MAPA (Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento) technical staff; Brazilian federal universities with agricultural biologicals research programs (including ESALQ/USP, UnB, UFLA, UFV, UFRGS, UFSC, and equivalent institutions); ANPII Bio member institutions seeking a formal engagement framework; and other ICTs (Instituições de Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação) operating under Brazil’s Lei da Inovação (Law 10.973/2004);
  • Canada: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) research centres; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)-affiliated institutions; Canadian federal universities with relevant research programs;
  • United States: USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) units; land-grant universities; other federally funded agricultural research institutions.

What the QBA-ICA-001 Governs

Each QBA-ICA-001 is tailored to the specific institution. The framework consistently addresses the following areas, adapted to the institution’s legal framework, jurisdiction, and operational context:

  • Scope of collaboration: The specific nature of the engagement — expert advisory contributions, QBIView™ assessment support, Brazilian Network participation, or co-research activities — is defined precisely so that both parties and the institution’s compliance office understand exactly what is and is not included;
  • Intellectual property: IP terms are negotiated directly with the institution’s NIT (Brazil) or equivalent technology transfer office, in full compliance with Lei da Inovação (Brazil), applicable Canadian federal IP frameworks, and U.S. institutional IP policies. QBA’s standard approach is to seek a perpetual, royalty-free licence for use in client deliverables rather than outright assignment, preserving the institution’s IP ownership while giving QBA the operational rights it needs;
  • Publication rights: The institution and its researchers retain full rights to publish their research findings in peer-reviewed literature. A standard 60-day QBA review period applies only to publications that draw directly on information from a specific QBA client engagement — not to general institutional research. QBA’s review is limited to identifying and requesting redaction of client-confidential information; QBA has no right to block or delay publication on scientific grounds;
  • Confidentiality: Client-specific information shared with the institution’s researcher during a QBA engagement is confidential. General scientific knowledge, publicly available data, and the institution’s own pre-existing research are explicitly carved out and are not subject to QBA confidentiality obligations. Researchers are never asked to share confidential government data or non-public institutional research with QBA;
  • Compensation routing: Compensation is structured in compliance with the institution’s applicable statutory framework. Options include: compensation paid to the institution via an approved research fund or technical service agreement; personal honoraria where permitted under applicable law (e.g., Lei 8.112 exceptions for technical cooperation); or, where compensation is not permissible, non-monetary recognition including acknowledgment in QBA publications, Expert Network directory visibility, and priority invitations to QBA events and research initiatives;
  • Conflict of interest: The agreement includes a clear disclosure protocol, adapted to the institution’s own conflict of interest policies, ensuring that researchers can participate without compromising their institutional obligations. Disclosure of relevant institutional relationships is required but does not automatically disqualify participation;
  • Non-solicitation: No non-solicitation obligation applies to researchers from federal public institutions. QBA fully acknowledges the public mandate of these institutions and does not seek to restrict any institutional activity;
  • Data privacy: Data handling is governed in compliance with LGPD (Brazil), PIPEDA (Canada), and applicable U.S. federal privacy frameworks. The institution’s researchers are not asked to submit or share confidential institutional data through any QBA platform or system;
  • Visibility and recognition: Institutions and their researchers who collaborate with QBA may, with their consent, be acknowledged on the QBA website, in the QBA Brazilian Network platform, and in QBA publications. The scope of any public recognition is agreed in the QBA-ICA-001 and can be as visible or as discreet as the institution prefers;
  • Term and exit: Either party may terminate the QBA-ICA-001 upon 30 days’ written notice, with no penalty. Confidentiality obligations survive termination for five years (indefinitely for QBA methodology, which is never disclosed to institutions).

What QBA Commits to Institutions

  • No cost: QBA absorbs all drafting costs. The institution reviews, comments, and signs. There is no fee, retainer, or obligation to engage further once the agreement is signed;
  • Flexibility: QBA will adapt the ICA to the institution’s legal requirements, not the other way around. If the institution’s NIT requires specific language, QBA will incorporate it. If Brazilian federal law requires a specific agreement format, QBA will comply;
  • Independence preserved: The institution’s researchers retain full scientific independence. QBA uses their expertise to inform our assessments — we do not direct, constrain, or influence their institutional research agenda;
  • Confidentiality of the relationship: The existence of a QBA-ICA-001 with any institution is treated as confidential by QBA unless the institution explicitly consents to acknowledgment. No institution will be named as a QBA partner without their written consent;
  • Respect for public mandate: QBA recognises that EMBRAPA, MAPA, federal universities, and their equivalents exist to serve the public interest. Our collaboration is designed to amplify the reach and impact of their science — never to commercialise or privatise it.

The Brazilian Context: Lei da Inovação and NIT Cooperation

QBA is deeply familiar with the Brazilian innovation framework. Brazil’s Lei da Inovação (Law 10.973/2004, significantly updated by Law 13.243/2016) established the legal basis for cooperation between public ICTs and private entities, and created NITs (Núcleos de Inovação Tecnológica) in every federal research institution as the gateway for managing such partnerships. QBA’s standard process for Brazilian public institutions is to work directly with the NIT — respecting its role as the institution’s IP and partnership manager — rather than seeking to bypass institutional governance through individual researcher agreements alone.

For EMBRAPA researchers in particular, QBA is aware that EMBRAPA operates as a public corporation (empresa pública) under the Ministry of Agriculture, with its own internal regulations on technical cooperation and outside engagement. QBA-ICA-001 for EMBRAPA engagements will be designed in coordination with EMBRAPA’s International Relations Office or the relevant unit’s NIT, as appropriate.

How to Initiate

Initiating a QBA-ICA-001 is simple. Contact QBA at the address below with the name of your institution, the name and role of the relevant researcher or institutional contact, and a brief description of the proposed collaboration. QBA will prepare a first draft of the QBA-ICA-001, tailored to your institution’s jurisdiction and legal framework, within ten (10) business days, at no charge.

There is no obligation to proceed after reviewing the draft. QBA welcomes comments, requested changes, and NIT review as part of the normal negotiation process.

Contact

To initiate a QBA Institutional Collaboration Agreement or to ask any questions about institutional partnership:
Quadros Bio Advisory Inc.
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
info@quadrosbioadvisory.com
http://www.quadrosbioadvisory.com

This page describes the QBA-ICA-001 framework. Individual agreements are bespoke, confidential, and executed as standalone signed documents between QBA and each institution. The framework described here represents QBA’s standard approach and commitments; specific terms in each executed QBA-ICA-001 may vary to accommodate institutional requirements.