Aimee Crouch is an MTA/CDA Coordinator for the MSU Innovation Center. She negotiates material transfer agreements (MTA), confidential disclosure agreements (CDA), and data use agreements (DUA) for the university.
From planning a proprietary proposal with collaborators in response to a funding opportunity to sharing data or materials with researchers around the globe, to discussing potential licensing or start-up opportunities when MSU faculty invent, create and discover new technologies, Crouch helps protect the intellectual property interests of MSU and promote the collaborative interactions that enhance university research.
“I appreciate getting to work with researchers from all across campus, so I get to learn about cutting edge research in many disciplines at MSU,” Crouch said.
The MTA/CDA/DUA team execute about 1,000 agreements annually.
“Each agreement offers different challenges, some more than others, but all are important to the research mission of MSU,” Crouch explained. “I am proud to support the university’s research enterprise.”
As an MTA/CDA Coordinator, Crouch is constantly learning about new technologies and scientific fields.
“I am in a unique position that requires knowing a small amount of technical information across a broad range of academic fields,” Crouch said. “I am constantly exposed to new inventions, data, materials, or laws that require me to push the boundaries and learn just a little bit more with each new context.”
Before coming to the Innovation Center, Crouch spent four years in MSU’s Office of Sponsored Programs, where she negotiated federal, state and nonprofit funding awards. She also spent time working in Washington D.C. for the National Science Foundation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Crouch holds a Juris Doctorate from MSU College of Law and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan.