Academic Agreements

About

Academic Collaboration and Transnational Relationships

UCC is a globally-oriented, research-led university. Priority actions in the Strategic Plan 2017-2022 state that the International engagement and the internationalisation of the university will be strengthened through the global UCC alumni network, partnering with a number of leading international universities and creating a culture of mobility and globalism and International engagement.

Goal three of the UCC Strategic Plan 2023-2028 is Global Engagement envisios a Global Engagement Plan that drives a strategic approach to internationalisation and strengthens our global profile.

Signing Authority

The Signing Authority and Approval policy, available on the Office of Corporate and Legal Affairs policy page, specifies the signing and approval authorities required for various types of binding decisions, approvals, contracts and legal agreements which may be made or entered into on behalf of the University.

Signing an academic agreement does not imply institutional prioritisation of the activity, nor does it signal that resources (staff or financial) will be automatically diverted to the project. Responsibility for implementation of the activity falls to the lead unit, represented by the UCC Lead (Champion/Coordinator).

Submit request for signature

Requests for signature of a national or international Academic Agreement must be made by a UCC staff member using the online

Academic Agreements - Request for approval and signature form

You will be able to access the form using your UCC login credentials.

Types of agreements that may be submitted using this form:

Academic related MOU and MOA
Confidentiality Agreements in relation to Academic Programmes
Academic related Agreements
Commitments to enter into joint ventures with other academic institutions
Commitments to participate in non-research academic consortia on projects
Third Party Agreements in relation to Dual or Joint Degrees, Accreditation, Validation and Articulation/Reverse Twining
International Student academic mobility and hosting agreements (other than Erasmus)

Generally, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legally non-binding document which expresses intent to cooperate with another institution or organisation. MoUs describe categories or types of collaboration to be explored, but do not fully commit to specific collaborative outcomes. Although MoU’s can be developed to suit a vast range of objectives, they are often anchored around the development of:

Student/Staff Exchange
Research Collaboration
General Cooperation
Collaborative degree programmes (in part or in full) or pathways

A commitment to a specific activity is the subject of a separate agreement, usually a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), which is legally binding contract and includes full terms to govern the cooperative endeavour.

Ordinarily, international cooperation begins with an MoU and evolves into an MoA (if appropriate).

Workflow from submission of agreement to signature: Process flowchart towards signing of an academic agreement

Due Diligence

Due Diligence is the reasonable steps that should be taken to ensure the partner institute is a valid, suitable and judicious partner. The proposed partnership must fall within the aims and priorities of UCC Strategic Plan 2023 - 2028 . Both the University and the Partner Institution(s) should expect that the business of the cooperation is conducted in a fair, transparent and equitable manner.

Acts of due diligence in respect of Academic Collaboration and Transnational Relationships include:

1. Appointment of a UCC Lead (Champion/Coordinator)

2. Consultation and oversight by:

Head of the relevant Academic Unit and/or
International Office and/or
College Internationalisation Committee and/or
Regional Working Group and/or
Others as appropriate

3. Consideration should be given to the following:

Desired outcomes from this agreement
Alignment with the UCC Strategic Plan
Programme Summary (as applicable)
Financial Analysis (as applicable)
Management/Governance Arrangements
Inpact on academic and/or administrative workloads
Existing relationship with UCC
Consultation with College Financial Manager
Preparation and dissemination of a brief about this agreement

4. A non-binding Memorandum of Understanding should be drafted in the first instance, prior to any formal agreement (Memoranda of Agreement or MoA), according to UCC’s current MOU template if possible. From time to time, partner institutes wish to use their own template; these are generally acceptable providing they align in principle to UCC’s template(s). In cases of significantly different templates, OCLA can be asked to review the document for potential risks.