UC Davis has approved templates for campus-level Agreements of Cooperation (AOCs) and programmatic or research-related Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). We encourage the use of pre-approved templates in collaborating with international partners. Please see samples and descriptions of agreement templates below:
Agreements of Cooperation (AOCs) refer to general, non-binding campus-level agreements for the university to collaborate or cooperate. The UC Davis AOC is a legally non-binding agreement intended to be supplemented with further agreements in the form of additional MOUs (see below) regarding specific collaborations. The UC Davis AOC template may not be modified without approval from Global Affairs and Office of the Campus Counsel.
At UC Davis, the Chancellor and the Vice Provost and Dean - Global Affairs both have delegated authority to enter into Agreements of Cooperation. See the full the International Agreement Proposal and Approval Process for more information.
Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), or other appropriate further agreements, are general statements of mutual interest to explore opportunities for collaboration and outline the specifics, logistics or details of a particular effort. The UC Davis MOU template agreement is explicitly non-binding, meaning that it does not commit university funds, staff, facilities, or other resources.
At UC Davis, MOUs typically reference the college, school, department, center, or unit, and set forth general plans for collaboration. Global Affairs will determine the appropriate institutional authority to sign the MOU based on the content and the scope of the intended activity.
General Non-binding International Research MOU (sample) can be used to establish a broad research relationship with another institution with the goal of exploring and identifying possible research collaborations and the intent to subsequently enter into more specific legally binding funded research agreements.
Specific Non-Binding International Research MOU (sample) can be used when a collaborative research area has already been identified, or narrowed, and both institutions want to document their intent to collaborate in a research area with one another. This is often the first step in the process of developing and subsequently entering into legally binding funded research agreements.
Global Affairs can facilitate research MOUs signed by the Office of Research.
We strongly encourage the use of the UC Davis agreement templates only. Using alternate formats will significantly increase the amount of time required to conclude the agreement.
Within UC Davis, there are different contracting offices that handle international contracts, depending on the type of contract. For example:
Director of International Agreements
mhmcclelland@ucdavis.edu
(530) 752-8175
