Agreements on research cooperation

What should you bear in mind before negotiating a new agreement?

• It is important to be aware of cultural and political differences. For each specific cooperation, consideration should be given to both fundamental national interests and academic values.
• According to NUPI's Challenging Knowledge Cooperation (in Norwegian) report administrative staff at several institutions point out that the establishment and follow-up of agreements can be very time-consuming, and that many projects fail to allocate sufficient time for this work.
• This does not apply to research agreements between nations, as these are politically motivated and controlled. However, research agreements at central government level, together with multilateral frameworks and the EU agreements (Science and technology (S&T) roadmaps) with individual countries, can define the terms for partnerships at institutional or corporate level.

What should management and administration bear in mind when entering into an agreement?

• Have joint exchange agreements between several Norwegian institutions and foreign partners been considered? This is particularly relevant for small disciplines and institutions.
• Have visibility and the impact on the institution's own reputation been considered?
• Is it relevant to make the agreement public in terms of transparency and legitimacy, or are there considerations that warrant confidentiality?
• Is the cooperation agreement supported by the employees' professional network? This is important for quality assurance, ownership and follow-up.
• Has the exchange agreement undergone legal and administrative quality assurance?
• Have challenges related to the basis for transferring personal data to third countries been considered?
• Has it been considered whether potential ethical and security-related considerations are under pressure and, if so, has this been taken into account in the agreement? Examples include protection of academic values such as freedom of expression, data protection and information security.
• Is a residence permit or visa required? What type of permit or visa is required? For mobility to Norway, see udi.no/en.
• Has the cooperation agreement been signed at the correct level?

What should an agreement contain?

• A formal agreement should contain clauses on open information and a common, mutual obligation to comply with norms, rules and/or special agreements regarding academic freedom, integrity, impartiality (conflicts of interests, conflicts of commitment) and transparency.
• Rules on what should not be disclosed, where considerations of competition, other commercial interests, or the partner's dedication or expectations necessitate confidentiality
• Objectives and the concrete expected results of the cooperation
• A budget, sufficiently detailed to allow no room for doubt about who will bear the costs, as well as reporting procedures, periods etc.
• Liability for compensation between the partners.
• A timeline for activities and results
• Rules on mutual progress reporting
• Rules on the use of equipment, infrastructure, software and access to digital infrastructure.
• Rules on access to data: both data generated through the cooperation and data and know-how that are brought into the project. Remember to take into consideration Open research and sharing
• Rukes on the exchange and processing of personal data relating to partners and, if applicable, study objects (cf. the rules in the GDPR).
• Rules on forms of involvement and follow-up of students in research collaborations, where relevant.
• Description of expected intellectual property values and rights from the project
• Rules on handling intellectual property rights (IPR). This applies to copyright, patents, right to trademarks, designs, source code or data, and storage of data. Who has ownership rights, by whom and how can results be patented, registered and licensed, and how will revenue from licensing be divided?
• Rules for publication and crediting from the project. Publication norms vary between subject areas and sectors.
• Rules on how to resolve conflicts between partners (dispute resolution).
• Rules on how agreements can be terminated.