International Agreements

(Revised to Distinguish Academic vs. Research Agreements)

Effective Immediately

All international agreements initiated by University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) units and offices must adhere to the newly established International Agreement and Partnership Procedure. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • General MOUs
  • Student Exchange Agreements
  • Study Abroad Agreements
  • Agent Service Agreements
  • Affiliate Program
  • Short-Term Programs
  • International Dual/Joint Degrees
  • Hoakipa Agreements
  • 3+2, 2+2, 3+1 Programs
  • Course Articulation Agreements
  • Non-Funded International Research Agreements

This process ensures consistency, compliance, risk mitigation, and alignment with UHM’s global and research priorities.

Important:
No draft agreement is required at the initial stage. Units must follow the procedures below to initiate the process. The Office of Global Engagement (OGE) will provide drafting and negotiation support.

All international agreements at UH Mānoa that involve academic programs must undergo a multi-level review process and require formal approval through the signature of the President, Provost, or Chief Global Officer, depending on the specific nature of the agreement. Those wishing to develop an international agreement should familiarize themselves with the UH System Executive Policy 8.200: Policy on Contracts and SigningAuthority. Please pay special attention to the section on International Agreements (III.B.4.c), which outlines the appropriate review process and provides international agreement templates, available for download by following the link to Appendix 6.

International agreements for UH Mānoa require review by the Office of Global Engagement (OGE) and the Office of the Provost for Academic Excellence (OVPAE) at Mānoa, as well as by the UH System Office of Export Controls (OEC), UH System Office of the Vice President for Academic Strategy (OVPAS), and in some cases the Office of General Counsel (OGC). OGE will advise on the appropriate process for the type of agreement being proposed and can be contacted by phone (956-2177) or by email (intlpart@hawaii.edu).

All international academic agreements must receive approval from the appropriate Dean or equivalent-level Director prior to submission to the Office of International Partnerships for review, approval, and execution.

Agreement Classification

  1. International Academic Agreements

These include agreements primarily related to:

  • Teaching and learning activities
  • Student mobility (exchange, study abroad)
  • Academic programming (dual/joint degrees, articulation)
  • Institutional collaboration without a primary research/data component

➡️ These agreements follow the standard OGE procedure (Steps 1–3 below).

2. International Research Agreements

These include agreements that involve:

  • Research collaboration (funded or non-funded)
  • Data sharing, access, storage, or transfer
  • Use of sensitive, restricted, or regulated data
  • Intellectual property (IP) considerations tied to research
  • Collaboration involving labs, fieldwork, or research personnel

Mandatory Additional Requirement

All international research agreements must undergo Data Governance Review BEFORE submission to OGE.

➡️ This step is required regardless of funding status.