Every contributor has leverage. Know where.
A research collaboration is never just two signatures — it's a working group of legal parties, institutional gatekeepers, and the people who actually run the experiments. Fourteen roles show up across MTAs, DUAs, RCAs, CRADAs, and consortia. Each one carries a different burden and responds to a different lever. This is the playbook for getting the most out of every one of them.
The restrictiveness pattern: in asset-exchange deals (MTA/DUA) the Recipient carries the heaviest formal burden. In day-to-day execution, that burden actually lands on the Trainee and Data Steward — the people with the least contractual authority and the most hands-on exposure. Manage those three first.
Lookup table
Sortable summary of all fourteen roles — click any column header to sort. Use it to spot who's overloaded before the agreement is signed, not after.
| Role ↕ | Category ↕ | Burden ↕ | Primary motivator ↕ | Fastest lever ↕ |
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