Types of Partnership Agreements

Partnerships with Impact

Pitt is committed to fostering meaningful collaboration between international institutions that offer strong benefits and impact to all parties involved. Partnerships are multifaceted and can include both formal and informal collaboration. Whether sharing knowledge, resources, or best practices via a formal agreement or an informal collaboration, Pitt's partnerships in their various forms are critical to the success of our university. 

The following information may prove useful to both Pitt faculty and staff as well as current or potential partners. Please note that partnership agreement requests must be made by a University of Pittsburgh faculty or staff member. Interested partners must have a contact from a Pitt unit who is committed to the partner agreement submit any agreement requests.

PittGlobal's Partnership Team

PittGlobal's partnership team is here to support international collaboration efforts and will guide you through your unique contracting questions and processes. Our team consists of individuals from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs/University Center for International Studies and the office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences. 

With a unique perspective and ability to view Pitt's collaboration efforts with a wider lens, this group not only provides strategic guidance, but also access to numerous resources and departments across campus. Whether Pitt faculty are working with a long-standing partner, creating a new contract, or simply have a new idea, PittGlobal's partnership team is able to offer both strategic and practical support for personal, departmental, school-level, and institution-wide international goals.

Each contract will be assigned a specific liaison from the partnerships team based on the relevant department or area of interest. This liaison from the central partnerships team can offer a high-level overview of Pitt's engagement and additional insights in to finding potential opportunities to begin or expand your global engagement goals. Additionally, this central office will work with University Counsel, the Office of Trade Compliance, and numerous other departments to ensure that the agreement proposal, execution, and renewal are smooth and successful.

Partnership Agreement Types 

As part of the Pitt Global Plan and Global Partnerships Operational Strategy, Pitt is focused on moving beyond simple Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs), instead focusing on formalized agreements with measurable goals and outcomes. It is important to note that "MOU" is often used as a blanket statement by some when referring to a formal agreement. However, the difference between a memorandum of understanding and a formal agreement are quite vast and very important to understand. While MOUs are welcome and sometimes necessary to begin collaboration, Pitt wishes to focus on formal agreements that show forward trajectory and produce results.

Standard Guidelines for All Agreement Types

The most common types of international agreements that facilitate collaborations, exchanges, and other types of partnership efforts between institutions are listed below. Additional agreements may be customized to best meet the mutual needs of all parties involved. 

Most agreements are drafted for a five-year duration unless modified to reduce the time commitment. As a point of practice, the University of Pittsburgh does not draft individual contracts with a scope beyond five-years. 

Pitt faculty and staff interested in drafting an agreement are encouraged to obtain the unique programming needs of the partner and engage the Global Partnerships & Partner Engagement (GP&E) Team as early as possible in this process. This will allow the GP&E team to do their due diligence and connect with the Office of Trade Compliance and Office of University Counsel in the early planning stages. Doing so will ensure all parties can follow the appropriate channels and standard guidelines, therefore ensuring that Pitt and the partner can stay on track and meet the desired start date of the program.

It is important to remember that, in many cases, international agreements can include multiple parties and not just the University and a single foreign entity. This should be taken into consideration during the initial phases of the planning process for the sake of time management. Please note that Research Agreements or any agreement where Pitt owned technology, information or knowledge could be shared with a potential international partner; might, according to various federal regulations, be subject to review by the Office of Sponsored Programs and or the Office of Trade Compliance. The inclusion of these offices should be factored into the time allotted when planning for a completion date.

  • Overview: A MOU is a standard, non-binding accord between institutions. It is used in cases where a ceremonial signing is required or when Pitt would like to establish an exploratory relationship with a partner to best decide whether more formal collaborations are warranted. In cases where parties agree on specific projects or scope of partnerships, the MOU should be avoided and one of the agreements below should be explored. 
  • Processing Timeline: A MOU typically takes 1-2 months to complete but may vastly differ if there are substantive changes made by both parties that would require back and forth editing and approvals. 
  • Key Considerations: While MOUs signify interest, they are not binding agreements with a focused scope and often do not lead to action. Focus should be placed upon formal agreements such as those listed below. 
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Non-Operational 
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable) 
  • Overview: This agreement type creates an admissions pathway into one or more of the University of Pittsburgh graduate programs. These generally will outline admissions criteria, credit transfers, tuition structure, etc. for the University of Pittsburgh program.
  • Processing Timeline: Typically the processing time for an admissions agreement is between 3-4 months. This can be delayed if either party has substantive changes to the templated agreement.
  • Key Considerations: This type of agreement requires the school's leadership to weigh in on the modified admissions terms as well as any applicable scholarship details. Admissions agreements are an effective way to build pipelines of already vetted students into graduate programs.
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational
  • Potential Roadblocks: Ensuring that the University of Pittsburgh school's leadership is involved at the beginning of the process will aid in ensuring a seamless processing.
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable)
  • Overview: This agreement facilitates dual or joint degree programs between the University of Pittsburgh and the potential partner.
  • Processing Timeline: Collaborative agreements typically take 5 to 6 months to execute. This is prolonged timeline is due to the extensive coordination required between the school, University Center for International Studies, and the Office of the Provost.
  • Key Considerations: This agreement type will require a submission to the Global Programs and Partnerships committee.
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational
  • Key Considerations: Ensuring that the University of Pittsburgh school's leadership is involved at the beginning of the process will aid in ensuring a seamless processing.
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable)
  • Overview: A cooperative agreement is a contract whereby the requestor is substantially involved in the project and the outcome of the results. The sponsor and university work collaboratively and report the results of the project together. This agreement type is typically a catch-all for individual projects, programs, or are utilized to pay universities directly for project supervision/execution.
  • Processing Timeline: These agreements typically require 3 to 6 months to come to terms.
  • Key Considerations: Ensuring that the University of Pittsburgh school's leadership is involved at the beginning of the process will aid in ensuring a seamless processing.
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Non-Operational
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable)
  • Overview: This type of agreement supports faculty as they establish non-teaching collaborations with partners abroad (including formal mobility agreements, coordinating academic meetings, collaborating with international partners). Research projects should be discussed with the Office of Sponsored Programs and teaching contracts should be discussed with the Office of Faculty Affairs. 
  • Processing Timeline: These agreements typically take 2-3 months to execute. 
  • Key Considerations: Ensuring that the University of Pittsburgh school's leadership is involved at the beginning of the process will aid in ensuring a seamless processing. It is also critical to confirm that there is enough faculty interest on both sides to ensure a healthy balance between the two parties. 
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational 
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable) 
  • Overview: These are agreements that specify training or technical activities with an aim to provide an international partner with the expertise needed to promote development of an agreed-upon programmatic goal. 
  • Processing Timeline: These agreements typically take 6-12 months to execute. This prolonged timeline is required as these types of agreements are a coordination between the school, Office of General Counsel, Office of Sponsored Projects, and University Center for International Studies. 
  • Key Considerations: These agreements usually require very specific terms and involve an exchange of funds. Senior leadership will need to be involved and will sign off on the final document.  
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational 
  • Potential Roadblocks: Many stakeholders may be involved, and the nature of the agreed-upon work will require all parties to be in agreement. 
  • Approval Bodies: Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable), Office of Sponsored Projects  
  • Overview: This type of agreement allows a student from an international institution to come to Pitt for 1-2 terms to take courses while paying Pitt tuition. This does not require Pitt to send any students to the partner institution.   
  • Processing Timeline: Typically, the processing time for this agreement type is between 3-4 months. This can be delayed if either party has substantive changes to the templated agreement.  
  • Key Considerations: In this model, students pay directly to Pitt for the terms they are here and are subject to the out-of-state tuition model. If  schools/centers would like to incentivize students to come to Pitt, they can offer scholarships to reduce the cost of the term(s).   
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational 
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable) 
  • Overview: In order to facilitate the mobility of students through a Panther program, the University of Pittsburgh requires both a master agreement and a scope of service. The master study abroad agreement outlines the legal terms between the two entities. This agreement is generally 3-5 years. The scope of service agreement outlines the operational aspects of the relationship and is developed yearly for the program-specific details including cost, student numbers, course material, excursions, etc.   
  • Processing Timeline: The master agreement typically takes 1-2 months to negotiate and could be longer depending on the edits provided. The scope of service typically takes 2-4 weeks to process and does not require the Office of University Counsel's review.  
  • Key Considerations: These agreements are managed solely by PittGEO and their satellite offices.  Please schedule a meeting with them to discuss your study abroad ideas at globalexperiences@pitt.edu
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational 
  • Approval Bodies: PittGEO, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs
  • Overview: This agreement facilitates the ability for a school or department to host an undergraduate intern at the University of Pittsburgh when a school or department does not have an already developed intern Program. This agreement requires a dedicated intern and assessment plan.  
  • Processing Timeline: This type of agreement typically takes 2-3 months. The delayed timeline is due to the development of an intern plan which is required as part of the agreement.  
  • Key Considerations: The University encourages schools and departments to develop a Program (with a capital P) which has an outlined admissions process, selection process, intern plan, assessment, and supervision support. If a school or department has this type of program outlined, then an intern agreement is not required. 
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational 
  • Potential Roadblocks: Faculty are encouraged to work with the Global Partnership Team within the University Center for International Studies as soon as the faculty has been approached by a student to intern within their school or department. Doing so will ensure all parties can meet the desired start date of the intern.  
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, Office of Trade Compliance (when applicable) Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable) 
  • Overview: These agreements support individual student mobility (outside of Pitt-sanctioned study abroad program models) via a bilateral agreement where each partner is encouraged to send and receive equal numbers of students annually. Since students at each institution pay tuition to their home institutions, these agreements require careful thought and consideration, especially regarding the responsible unit’s ability to recruit and send/receive a set number of students annually. If there is a desired exchange at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, separate agreements may be required. Also, please note that graduate exchanges will be administered through specific graduate schools.
  • Processing Timeline: Typically the processing time for a study exchange agreement is between 3-4 months. This can be delayed if either party has substantive changes to the templated agreement.
  • Key Considerations: The University of Pittsburgh delineates undergraduate and graduate exchange agreements into two separate agreements. The Pitt Global Experiences Office (PittGEO) manages all undergraduate exchange agreements and should be consulted if a school, department, or potential partner is interested in exploring this relationship. Graduate exchange agreements are managed by the respective school at the University of Pittsburgh.
  • Operational v. Non-Operational: Operational
  • Approval Bodies: Chair, Dean, PittGEO, Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic and Global Affairs, Health Sciences (when applicable)

Partnership Approval Process and Signatory Authority

The partnership request system is a two phase process. First a faculty/administrator will enter their request through the online partnership request system. This system will then route the request to your department chair and/or center director (if applicable) for initial review and approval. Once the chair/director approves the concept, it will go to the school's dean for review and approval. These two approvals then allow for the University to start agreement negotiations. In the instance of an atypical agreement type, restricted party screening hit, or an agreement with a high level of complexity, additional approvals will be required before finalizing the agreement. These approvals may be the Provost, Chancellor, and/or Global Partnerships and Programs Committee and/or Global Risk Health Safety and Security Committee. Once all terms are agreed upon by both parties, the Global Partnerships Team will route the agreement for signature. The Dean of the relevant school will sign the agreement first, followed by the Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs. The VC for Global Affairs retains the university signature authority for inter-institutional agreements. For more information on this approval process, visit Partnership Requests.