The University of North Carolina is engaged in a
large variety of international activities. For UNC faculty and departments,
international collaboration brings forth new challenges in developing and
managing international academic agreements. Many of these challenges are like
those involved in domestic agreements, but widely varying contractual practices
worldwide present a more compelling case for institutional diligence.
The Associate Provost for
International Affairs provides guidelines and support to UNC-Chapel Hill
faculty and departments in moving from the collaborative partnership
conceptualization stage to agreement implementation.
International Agreement Decision guide:
When contemplating an international academic
agreement, the following questions may help determine if a formal agreement is
needed.
1.
Will the agreement serve the mission and needs of the
proposing unit?
2.
Will the agreement positively affect UNC students and
faculty?
3.
Does the agreement fit into the scholarly and
international mission of UNC?
4.
What risks, if any, might there be for UNC, its students
or faculty?
5.
How will the outlined activities in the agreement
influence the internationalization of UNC?
6.
What costs, to the unit proposing the agreement, to other
units, and to UNC-Chapel Hill, will be involved in the agreement?
7.
Will there be measurable mutual benefits from the
agreement, for the proposing unit and UNC, as well as for the partner
institution? Does the proposing unit have the necessary resources (human and
financial) to carry out the responsibilities that are part of the agreement?
Defining international academic agreements:
Normally, after visiting a partner’s campus,
collaborating on research projects or other academic pursuits, initiators will
request a non-binding “Letter of Intent” or a broader “Memorandum of
Understanding” which may include attached addenda that ad
LETTER OF INTENT (LOI) – Expresses an interest in
establishing an academic linkage with another organization to promote academic
collaboration. Many university academic departments may propose to start an
international relationship with a Letter of Intent. In a Letter of Intent, both
organizations mutually intend to establish ties of friendship and cooperation
for promoting mutual understanding and academic, cultural, and personnel
exchange. The Letter of Intent does not create any legal or financial
relationship between the parties. A department head or Dean may sign an LOI on
behalf of his/her department or college. The Associate Provost for
International Affairs should be made aware of the proposed LOI prior to its
signing.
Please
click on “Letter of Intent” for a generic template.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) – Formal documents that outline
broader areas of cooperation and adhere to a more detailed review process than
an LOI. MOU’s serve to articulate and clarify the respective interests, roles,
and obligations of the collaborating institutions. It is a formal testimony to
the history of an established relationship between two institutions. The MOU
does not detail in-depth arrangements, but outlines a disciplinary focus and
lays the groundwork for exploring more specific plans of action Addenda to the
MOU may ad
Please
click on “Memorandum of
Understanding” for a generic template.
Addenda to signed MOU’s:
Addenda provide the crucial academic and
operational element for adding a specific activity under the established MOU or
IA. Addenda are normally signed by Associate Provost for International Affairs,
the relevant Dean, and department/unit head. Addend specify commitments for
teaching, research, exchanges, or other shared undertakings, and identify
points of contact for the activity in question.
They may also detail financial commitment or resource allocation and an
acceptance of obligations. Resources may include such things as tuition,
stipends, housing, research space, equipment, and faculty time.
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT (IPA) An agreement that serves
to broaden the partnership established by the MOU to other interested units.
These types of agreements may represent binding commitments on the part of each
university. Commitments that often have financial and legal obligations. The
Chancellor and or Provost and additional signatories who are ultimately
responsible for the outlined commitments must sign.
The IPA establishes a formal foundation
for long-term, recurring international collaboration. It is the main document
employed by the University to codify formal relations at the institutional
level. The University Chancellor has final approval for such all-encompassing
comprehensive agreements that engage the whole university. If additional
University of North Carolina (UNC) universities are involved in the proposal,
the agreement may also be reviewed and signed by the UNC Office of the
President.
Please
click on “International
Partnership Agreement” for a generic template.
Generally,
international academic linkage agreements (LOI, MOU, IPA), should be considered
when a document is needed to provide a formal framework which may
benefit collaborative work processes. Formal linkage documents are signed by
counterparts at collaborating institutions and validated for a predetermined
period of time after which the linkage will be evaluated and then renewed,
reformulated, or terminated. All agreements, whether contractual or not, have
to be reviewed and approved by the Associate Provost for International Affairs
before they are signed by other University officials. UNC’s international
agreements and linkages information is maintained in the "Linkages Database" by the International Liaison Officer.