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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 address specific activities and responsibilities. These agreements work well to define formal relationships between departments, colleges and academic units. Based on these agreements and continued development of mutual interests, institutions may sign a formal “International Partnership Agreement” that establishes a partnership for the university and all its units.

 

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
dress these specific plans, or relatively short-term, one-time, or temporary programs. An MOU is generally intended to support an activity that has the potential of expanding in scope to warrant the signing of a formal institutional agreement in the future. The Associate Provost for International Affairs (APIA) and the UNC-Chapel Hill Provost must sign an MOU. When appropriate, other signatories may be listed, such as the Dean.

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.