EMMA Conditions

The conditions for archiving, storage, request and distribution of mouse lines cryopreserved within the EMMA project appear detailed in the EMMA web page and can be found in this PDF document. The summary is:

1) The cryopreservation and storage of embryos/sperm of archived mouse lines in EMMA is free of charge, ince the application for submission has been accepted by the EMMA External Evaluation Scientific Committe. Normally, the response from the Committee is obtained within 60 days after submitting the application for cryopreserving mice.

2) The user / researcher will have to cover the shipment expenses to transfer the mice from (and to) his/her centre of work to (and from) the corresponding EMMA node (i.e. CNB-CSIC in Madrid).

3) EMMA is a public non-profit project funded by the European Commission, therefore the access and distribution of mouse lines cryopreserved in EMMA must be free, and thus available to all interested scientists. However, it is possible to request for a grace-period of up to 2 years (i.e. the cryopreserved mouse line has not been published yet). During this time the mouse line is adequately cryopreserved in EMMA but does not appear searchable for the rest of researchers when they access the EMMA database.

4) In addition, optionally, it is possible to add a MTA document to each mouse line cryopreserved in EMMA, in order to protect the corresponding intellectual rights that might be associated with them, should this be of interest of the submitting researcher / user. A generic MTA document, is porvided, as a possible example and starting point, to be adapted by the requirements of each depositing institution. This document has been approved by the Administration (TT Office) of CNB-CSIC and by EMMA.

5) Obtaining mice cryopreserved in EMMA is not free of charge. The European Commission has establised that some limited fees must be charged to interested researchers / users requesting animal models, in order to contribute to project sustainability. Currently, the fee to obtain frozen mouse embryos or sperm is 1100 Euros and the requested material is normally sent to the requester within 4 weeks after receiving the request. The fee to obtain live mice from one of the mouse lines cryopreserved in EMMA is 2400 Euros* and the shipment normally is planned between 1 to 6 months after receiving the request, depending on the availability of the requested animals.

6) The researcher/user must cover the shipment expenses of mice requested to EMMA from the corresponding EMMA node to the requesting centre.

7) It is possible to request the transfer of mouse lines previously cryopreserved by the Mouse Embryo Cryopreservation Facility to the EMMA Project, once the responsible user/researcher accepts these EMMA conditions. Once these mouse lines are transferred to EMMA they become free of charge for storage / maintenance costs for the submitter researcher / user.

To send any comment or question related to the EMMA node at CNB please contact Lluís Montoliu or Julia Fernández by email

(*) Fees approved by EMMA and updated on May 4, 2011

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