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International Agreements Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose and Scope

(1) The University of Queensland (UQ) recognises that engagement and collaboration with the community, government, agencies and business are critical success factors in UQ’s capacity to meet the rapidly changing needs of society. The entire UQ community is enriched by UQ’s relationships with International Partners.

(2) This Policy provides the strategic framework for establishing and monitoring partnership agreements with international entities. The Policy aims to assist with managing risk to UQ and ensuring that UQ’s international activities align with its identified strategic priorities.

Scope

(3) This Policy covers agreements that establish, document and support collaborative relationships and activities with International Partners (i.e. governments, institutions, and business), and includes undergraduate, postgraduate and higher degree research student and staff mobility programs, pathway articulation programs, sponsorship/scholarship arrangements and agreements that support general academic and research collaborations with International Partners (e.g. International Cooperation Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding, Memoranda of Agreement, Letters of Intent, etc).

(4) Activities that relate to the collaborative academic arrangements with International Partners will also be subject to the Collaborative Academic Program Arrangements Policy. 

(5) Any sponsored research, contract research, collaborative research, research infrastructure, consultancy, visiting fellow, intellectual property or research-related agreements with international funding providers or partners, and where UQ is a collaborator, recipient or distributor of contract research funding, grants or service fees, are not within scope of this Policy and are subject to the Administration of Research Funding - Applications, Grants and Contract Research Policy and the Consultancy, Secondary Employment and Internal Work Policy.

(6) Donations and research philanthropy must be administered in accordance with the Philanthropy and Fundraising Policy.

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Section 2 - Principles and Key Requirements

(7) The Global Engagement Framework has been developed to support UQ’s overarching goal of global connectedness to ensure stronger integration of country and partner engagement initiatives. It does so by adopting a targeted approach to engagement through the identification of priority countries and partners with whom UQ can maintain highly engaged relationships. Establishing and managing strategic partnerships with International Partners in order to drive mutually beneficial outcomes is a priority. To achieve this, UQ will:

  1. ensure proposals for new agreements complement and align with UQ’s strategic priorities and Global Engagement Framework;
  2. ensure any agreements are cognisant of and compliant with Australian, foreign and international laws relevant to the activity including the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018, Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020 and export controls; and
  3. ensure any agreements do not expose UQ to unacceptable commercial, legal or reputational risks.

Levels of Engagement

(8) UQ may collaborate and enter into a formal arrangement with an International Partner at two levels:

  1. University wide – partnerships that commit UQ to a whole-of-institution engagement; or
  2. Faculty/Institute/Other Division/Centre – partnerships that commit only one UQ Faculty, Institute, other division, or centre to engagement activities.

Legal Agreements

(9) The appropriate agreement for use with an International Partner and ongoing measures for quality assurance, management and review required for the arrangement will be determined by:

  1. the nature of the International Partner’s engagement with UQ and the activities proposed to be covered by the agreement;
  2. the International Partner’s legal status (higher education institution, government body or corporation); and
  3. the level of risk UQ may be exposed to as a result of entering into the arrangement.
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Section 3 - Roles, Responsibilities and Accountabilities

UQ Global Partnerships

(10) The Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Partnerships) is responsible for the strategic management of UQ’s international engagement to enable a streamlined and centralised approach to the development of international partnership agreements.

(11) The International Agreements Team within Global Partnerships is responsible for ensuring that any International Agreement is signed in accordance with the Schedule of Contract Delegations and Sub-delegations. 

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Section 4 - Monitoring, Review and Assurance

(12) Global Partnerships will review this Policy as required to ensure its currency and relevance to the management of UQ’s international engagement and agreements activities.

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Section 5 - Recording and Reporting

(13) Global Partnerships will:

  1. advise UQ stakeholders on trends and changes with International Agreement practices;
  2. maintain a record of all International Agreements that UQ enters into via the International Agreements Database;
  3. report new International Agreements entered into, on a monthly basis, to the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation);
  4. disseminate new International Agreement information reports to the broader UQ community; and
  5. notify the Minister for Foreign Affairs of proposals and arrangements, as required under the Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020.
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Section 6 - Appendix

Definitions, Terms and Acronyms

Term Definition
International Agreement
Contracts or agreements with a foreign entity, including foreign:
(i)   Universities, higher education or research institutions;
(ii)  Governments and their agencies; and
(iii) Sponsors, scholarship providers and corporations,
that document intended or required co-operation and other activities by the University and the foreign entity that are:
• Contracts and Agreements about:

     (i) Undergraduate and postgraduate student exchange and study abroad;

    (ii) Higher degree research supervision and mobility;
 
   (iii) Academic and professional staff mobility;

    (iv) Pathway articulation;

     (v) International scholarship and sponsorship; and

    (vi) General academic and research collaboration, provided that:
          
          a)'research collaboration’ agreement above, means an overarching, non-binding agreement or arrangement that does require the, payment or receipt of money or other valuable consideration or the actual undertaking of research; and

          b) International Agreements exclude Research Agreements made through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation)'s Organisational Area.
Engagement Activity/Initiative Includes collaborative academic programs, general cooperative research, student and staff mobility and visits and joint academic events.
International Partners Includes offshore higher education institutions, research institutions, public bodies, foreign governments, sponsors, scholarship providers, agencies and corporations.