UBC researchers, faculty members, staff and students in all disciplines work to build relationships with their counterparts around the world. Often, these relationships work well without a formal agreement in place.

A formal agreement is required for partnerships that commit UBC to financial obligations, or have potential impact upon UBC’s academic standards (for example, student mobility programs that involve students taking courses for credit). These agreements must be approved by the UBC Senate and signed by a UBC representative with the appropriate authority.

Partnerships can also be formalized by a Statement of Cooperation, which is a more general, non-legally binding document. Such statements can be useful to support on-going research collaborations or other activities that do not need Senate approval. The Statement of Cooperation signals the value of the partnership to each institution. It can be made at faculty level or at the university level.

The VPRI International Office can provide advice on structuring all types of international links. We also have templates for many different arrangements. Please contact Tangerine Twiss at (604) 822-3114.