Knowledge exchange, as required in Trans-disciplinary Engineering processes (TE) is not without risk. Many types and sources of risk exist, which depend on the type of interdependency between actors (companies) in TE teams as well as on the strategic nature of the knowledge exchanged. Risks need to be managed, not only with technical means, but also with other types of methods, like contracts. In this paper, different types of interdependencies are described which influence the risks that actors may encounter. Moreover, in managing risks, different trade-offs arise, which complicate the choice of a suitable method. In the paper, an introduction to different types of contractual solutions is presented, which need to be extended in further research.