UIC’s collaborations with higher education institutions, hospitals and clinics, governments and their agencies, and a wide variety of organizations around the world support and advance the internationalization of the university. The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) works closely with faculty and staff across UIC to evaluate opportunities for collaboration and, as appropriate, proceed with the formalization of partnerships and activities to be undertaken with partners in the form of agreements.

What is an international affiliation agreement?

At UIC, an international affiliation agreement is defined as any cooperative arrangement (including but not limited to contracts, memoranda of agreements, or letters of intention) between the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois on behalf of UIC, and foreign higher education institution/s or organizations to support academic activities such as student and/or faculty exchanges, direct enrollment, student placement abroad, and curricular collaborations such as cotutelle and degrees offered in cooperation with an international institution. Such agreements must adhere to the International Collaboration Policy.

Proposed collaborations with third-party organizations that are not traditional higher education institutions involving outbound mobility of UIC students should be routed through the Study Abroad Proposal Review Committee process. Contact the Study Abroad Office at sao@uic.edu for more information.

How do you propose or renew an international affiliation agreement?

Complete the appropriate Agreement Proposal and Approval Form (APAF) below, obtain the relevant signatures, and email to Shawn Conner-Rondot, Director of International Affairs and Outreach, at sdconron@uic.edu.

• Propose a NEW agreement (.docx)
• Propose RENEWAL of an existing agreement (.docx)

When an agreement is renewed, occasionally it may be necessary to put a new agreement in place because University Counsel has updated the language in the University of Illinois templates and/or required inclusion of new language when a partner’s template will be used. The Office of Global Engagement will work with you to determine what might be needed.

How do you handle negotiating an agreement with a partner? 

Any time an agreement is being proposed (new or renewal), you should contact the Director of International Affairs and Outreach to discuss agreement templates. The Director will give you templates approved by the University of Illinois to share with the partner, or you can connect the Director with the appropriate contact at the partner to handle sharing template(s) and subsequently negotiating the agreement. It ultimately depends on your comfort level serving as an intermediary in the process.

It is important to note that the University of Illinois requires that the partner consider the UI template(s). If the partner must use its template(s), the partner should provide a statement of justification, which the Director will share with University Counsel when the template(s) are submitted for review.

Activities supported by international affiliation agreements are academic in nature and regulated by various federal laws. The UIC campus complies with all such regulations and asks members of the academic community to get acquainted with them.

Campus resources about compliance:

• International Collaboration Policy
• Export Controls (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research)
• Foreign Influences in Research & Scholarship (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research)

OGE encourages faculty and staff to consult with the Director of International Affairs and Outreach early in the process of considering a new international collaboration. By seeking advice and guidance early on, we can explain the relevant university requirements for certain types of agreements, help you think through the nuanced details of activities that you might need to consider, and flag any laws and regulations that might affect your ability to collaborate with the partner.