Collaborating With International Colleagues
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville has a variety of international linkages with overseas institutions. Some of these are campus-wide, while others are specific and unique to the College of Business Administration (CBA).
As the College of Business Administration through the Global Business Institute expands its international activities, we anticipate that we will continue to develop more international linkages and study abroad opportunities for our students, as well as opportunities for faculty to collaborate with international colleagues on research, publication and to infuse additional international material into the curriculum.
Linkages are created to serve specific goals. Although every linkage is unique, there are typically certain common aspects which should generally be followed. Using the approach outlined below will help you best use existing agreements or develop new linkages. The Global Business Institute is available to assist faculty and departments in the CBA establish and maintain useful connections with institutions overseas.
Beginning the Process
Linkages are often the result of personal contacts between administrators, faculty, or staff. These can range from agreements initiated by the 
President or Chancellor to those initiated at the professorial level. Overtures from foreign institutions are common, but not all such offers result in a collabortive effort. The CBA considers a variety of factors when deciding whether to initiate an institutional linkage with an overseas institution. These include: how the institution furthers the goals and vision of the CBA; required commitments both in terms of personnel and funding; how the exchange will meet the needs, expectations, and career goals of the students; and whether we currently have an existing agreement with a neighboring institution.
In the absence of a formal agreement between the CBA and another institution, faculty may, in some cases, collaborate with colleagues from those institutions. It is important, however, to have an overall strategy for determining who to link with and for what purpose. It is also useful to consider how the linkage can be sustained and developed over time and whether it meets the long term needs and expectations of the institution/department.
Thus, agreements fall into three categories:
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Institutional Collaboration Agreements which are non-binding agreements between the CBA and an organization abroad to have a dialogue about mutual interests. These agreements do not obligate either institution, but provide the basis for more detailed agreements.
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International Institutional Exchange Agreements which provide for more cooperative activities and specify certain on-going collaboration between both parties. An example of this type of agreement is a faculty and student exchange each semester;
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Individual Project Activity Agreements for each major project or program, which generally are for a predefined period of time and may fall under the umbrella of International Institutional Exchange Agreements.
Both the Institutional Exchange Agreements and the Individual Project Activity Agreements are more complex and must be carefully drafted. These represent a binding commitment on the part of each institution, one that frequently carries financial and legal obligations. It must be signed by those within the institution responsible for making good on those commitments, at whatever level. Each separate set of activities require a separate Individual Project Activity Agreement, signed and dated. It can be signed by people at a variety of levels, but should be sent to:
- The Department Head
- The Dean of the College of Business and any other Dean if the Project is interdisciplinary in nature
- The Provosts Office. A copy should also be sent to the Global Business Institute as we will keep a file on all current international agreements.
Aspects of Collaborative Agreements
There are certain aspects which are common to all exchange agreements and which are useful to keep in mind when deciding to collaborate with international colleagues these include:
Purpose-Clearly states the purpose of the agreement and the desire of both parties to collaborate.
Scope-Defines the range of activities which may form the basis for future collaboration. These are not in any way binding or restrictive. Remember this is a general agreement only, so it is not necessary to be overly specific here.
Activity Agreements-Defines what needs to happen for things to move forward and outlines the parts of an agreement. Note that this is a separate document and need not be drawn up at the same time as the cooperative agreement.
Duration-Sets a time limit on the agreement. This can be modified or extended if necessary but should not generally be open-ended.
Modification or Termination-Provides a simple way of either changing or canceling the agreement. The agreement should be phrased in such a way that either party may do this, unilaterally with some notice in advance to the other party. Please note that the activity agreements already signed should nonetheless remain in force for their prescribed durations, in order to protect ongoing activities.
Institutional Representatives-Outlines the names and titles of the individuals responsible for signing and implementing the agreement. The contact information, if different, should also be specified particularly where the contact person responsible for the day to day administration of a program may be different.
Factors in the Activity Agreement
Even in informal research collaboration between two faculty members at two institutions, it is a good idea to draft an activity agreement. This helps to avoid later conflicts about ownership of data, publishing rights, deadlines, costs, and patents. This also helps to minimize misunderstandings, insures that expectations and obligations are clear, and prevents some of the problems which may occur in international collaborations.
As you begin discussions about establishing an activity agreement, it is useful to consider the day to day procedures for setting up and managing the linkage making sure that each party understands exactly how the linkage will work, what the long term goals and outcomes will be, and the duration. It should explain clearly and simply, what is going to be done, who will participate and how, why it is important, and what outcomes will occur. It should go into considerable detail about how all of this will happen. The following are some of the components that should be in an activity agreement:
Goals and Objectives: What is it that the two institutions are trying to do together?
Activities: What specific things are to be done under this agreement?
