Terms and conditions

Material Transfer Agreement (MTA)

Please note: in ordering CPCC cultures you are agreeing to our MTA. We request that you download a copy of this agreement for your files.

Recipients of CPCC strains are agreeing to the following:

  • You agree to use the cultures for teaching or research only. If you desire to use the material for commercial purposes you agree to negotiate with the CPCC to establish the terms of a separate agreement.
  • You agree to not sell, lend, or redistribute the strain to others without permission from CPCC. You agree to redirect any enquiries for acquisition of the strain to the CPCC.
  • You agree to not use the strain for human consumption. The CPCC reserves the right to refuse orders that will be used for mammalian consumption.
  • You agree to acknowledge the CPCC in all publications reporting on its use, quoting the complete CPCC strain number and taxonomic name. A copy of your publications or a link to the source on-line should be supplied to the CPCC to enable us to update our data base on research conducted with the strains.
  • The material supplied is experimental in nature and the CPCC makes no warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. You assume all liability from use, storage or disposal of the material and agree to not hold the CPCC liable for any resulting consequences. Note: For strains producing toxins, an online agreement (Toxic Strain Release Form) must be submitted by a responsible individual (e.g., Director or Chair of department or lead scientist).
  • You agree to pay the CPCC through the University of Waterloo’s Finance Department by credit card, cheque, international money order, or bank-to-bank transfer within 30 days of receiving the invoice for the cultures.

Thank you for your co-operation and for using CPCC strains in your research, Heather Roshon, Technical Curator, CPCC.

Requests for toxin-producing strains

For toxin-producing strains, a toxic strain release form must be completed and submitted by a responsible person such as the Chair of your Department or the lead scientist before the request can be processed.

Customer service

Cancellation policy

A cancellation fee of 50% (rounded up to the next highest $5 increment) will be applied if order is cancelled after subcultures or medium/concentrate have been prepared.

Replacement warranty

We strive to supply research quality material and take great care in packaging your order. If cultures arrive in unsatisfactory condition, we will gladly replace them free-of-charge, except for shipping, provided that the problem is reported within 30 days of the shipment receipt. To notify us of the condition of the cultures received, please return the Strain Receipt Report questionnaire which is enclosed with each shipment. The following exceptions apply:

  • Full replacement warranty void when shipping strains already known to be sensitive to shipping stressors or to environmental changes. In such cases, pickup at the CPCC is highly recommended. If pickup is not possible, a reduced price of 50% (rounded up to the next highest $5 increment) plus full S&H fee will apply for each delivery attempt where the cultures arrive in non-viable or poor condition and the customer is unable to recover them.
  • Full replacement warranty void if Customs holds or confiscates the shipment. Instead, a reduced price of 50% (rounded up to the next highest $5 increment) plus the full S&H fee will apply if they arrive in non-viable condition or if Customs does not release them and destroys the shipment.
  • Replacement warranty void if customer requests shipment during unfavourable weather conditions and order arrives in poor condition.

Any comments or suggestions that may help us to improve our service will be welcomed.