International Agreements

The Office of Global Health Initiatives (OGHI) coordinates the execution of international agreements to support UTHealth faculty and students in collaborating with their counterparts worldwide.   In serving as UTHealth’s hub for the agreement development process, OGHI supports the faculty involved and ensures that the university acts in a strategic and consistent manner.

UTHealth enters into two kinds of international agreements:  Memorandum of Understanding and Program Agreement.

A Memorandum of Understanding is a general umbrella agreement whereby UTHealth and the international partner agree to establish a collaborative relationship.

A Memorandum of Understanding is non-binding. It is designed to promote collaboration and exchange between UTHealth and the partner institution. This kind of agreement does not set forth a specific program or project, but it is the requisite parent document to any specific Program Agreement which may later be executed between the parties.

A Memorandum of Understanding is signed at the university level by the President of the University and the Vice President for Global Health Initiatives. The Memorandum of Understanding encompasses all UTHealth schools and components.

A Program Agreement defines specific collaborative programs or projects. It is established on behalf of a specific UTHealth component and requires the dean's approval in addition to the approval of the President of the University and the Vice President for Global Health Initiatives.

The Program Agreement outlines the details of the specific program or project, including each party’s rights and responsibilities, and any terms of financial compensation. Individual Program Agreements are executed for each separate program or project, such as observerships, student exchanges, ongoing faculty visits, joint research projects and other collaborations.

Click here for an overview of the procedures to create an international agreement at UTHealth.