International agreement process | Global Engagement Office

Waterloo's international agreements follow a strategic and outcomes-oriented process to steward each institutional-level international agreements, including Joint Academic Program Agreements, Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), Strategic Partnerships Agreements, and Student Mobility Agreements.

The Global Engagement Office works in close collaboration with Faculties, Academic Support Units and other internal stakeholders to develop the appropriate agreement instrument in alignment with desired programming/activities, outcomes and institutional regulations.

The timeline for stewarding each international agreement varies and is dependent on the complexity of the agreement, response times of our partners, consultations with our team and university stakeholders, internal review procedures, as well as other factors. An agreement typically takes 3 months to 1 year to assess, consult, draft, negotiate and sign.

To initiate the international agreement process for any new partnerships, start by submitting a partnership request.

International agreement process:

Assessment

Purpose	A preliminary step to assess if the proposed international partnership request/agreement may support the University of Waterloo’s internationalization strategies and initiatives and if an institutional-level agreement could be an appropriate ‘tool’.
Who's Involved	Existing/potential international Partner institution or UW internal stakeholders (e.g. representative(s) from Academic Support Units and Faculties) Global Engagement Office and International Agreements Team
What Happens	Global Engagement Office reviews international partnership/agreement request, develops briefing materials, conducst assessment, and makes recommendation. The recommendation may be to refer the agreement to another unit on campus, for example, the Office of Research, where the agreement falls under that unit’s mandate. Where stewardship by the Global Engagement Office is recommended, approval from GEO leadership is required. This stage typically takes 1-2 weeks to complete and is dependent on what, if any, additional information is required to complete the assessment.

Stakeholder Consultation

Purpose	Internal stakeholders are consulted to assess agreement feasibility and potential outcomes and to ensure engagement from beginning stages of the agreement process.
Who's Involved	Global Engagement Office and International Agreements Team Academic Support Units and Faculties
What Happens	GEO sends a request for agreement assessment to internal stakeholders and coordinates input. Typically, operational feasibility input is sought from Academic Support Units and information is then consolidated before Faculties are consulted. Academic Support Units and Faculties provide input, recommendation/approval to Agreements Team. This stage can take between 3 weeks to an upwards of 4 months and is highly dependent on the number of stakeholders involved and depth of the required consultations.

Drafting & Negotiation

Purpose	International agreement is drafted and negotiated with the Partner institution in alignment with Waterloo's requirements and best practices.
Who's Involved	Global Engagement Office and International Agreements Team Academic Support Units and Faculties associated with agreement Key contact(s) from Partner
What Happens	International Agreements Team takes the lead to draft and negotiate agreement directly with Partner using agreement templates/template language approved by Legal and Immigration Services. International Agreements Team communicates and consults with Academic Support Units and Faculties throughout the negotiation, as needed, to ensure programming/academic-related activities under the agreement are feasible and articulated accurately. This stage can take between 3 months to an upwards of 1 year and is highly dependent on the complexity of the agreement and negotiations, the number of drafts, the number of stakeholders involved and depth of the required consultations.

Internal Review

Purpose	Global Engagement Office and International Agreements Team seeks legal and financial advice to mitigate risk to the institution and to those involved in activities under the agreement. Approval for academic programming under select agreements/agreement types may also be required at this stage.
Who's Involved	Global Engagement Office and International Agreements Team Legal and Immigration Services and Finance Academic Support Units and Faculties as needed Senate to approve academic programming, as required
What Happens	Draft is reviewed by Legal Immigration Services and Finance. Further negotiations are held with the Partner, as needed. International Agreements Team communicates and consults internal stakeholders, as needed. International Agreements Team works with Faculties to seek Senate approval as required.

Signing

Purpose	To formally execute (sign) international agreement with Partner institution.
Who's Involved	International Agreements Team Key signatories, as needed
What Happens	Agreement is routed for signatures at Waterloo, per Waterloo's Signing Authority and Approval Policy - Register International Agreements Team sends/receives partially and fully executed document to/from Partner. International Agreements Team distributes a copy of signed agreement and summary of key details to relevant internal stakeholders.

Monitoring & Reporting

Purpose	Monitor outcomes of programming/activities/risks under the agreement to ensure outcomes and success.
Who's Involved	Global Engagement Office and International Agreements Teams Key internal stakeholders Key contact(s) from Partner
What Happens	International Agreements Teams updates records, manages data and reports on agreement and relevant activities and outcomes. Global Engagement Officeand internal stakeholders communicate and promote agreement and partnership. International Agreements Teams drafts and negotiates amendments to agreement with Partner as needed and in consultation with key internal stakeholders.

For additional information or questions on the agreement process, contact global.engagement@uwaterloo.ca.