Collaboration & International Engagement

The UTC research community is committed to advancing research that makes life and lives better. Advancing knowledge while identifying solutions to society’s most complex challenges often requires the expertise and skills of researchers from multiple disciplines and domains, who come together to develop collaborative research strategies to realize their goals. Research collaborations take place within and across the UTC research community, and with research partners at universities, private and public sector organizations in the US and around the world.

Visitors Engaged in Research

Research collaborators who are not UTC students or employees may visit UTC to engage in research for periods of a few hours to many months. Visiting researchers (e.g., faculty, staff, students, postdocs from another academic institution, industry collaborators, etc.) who are not enrolled at or employed by the University of Tennessee, and who seek access to UTC’s laboratories or other similar research facilities for the purposes of collaborating in or conducting research, must have a UTC sponsor—typically, a UTC faculty member. The UTC sponsor is responsible for ensuring compliance with the university’s Visitors Engaged in Research Policy (RE0002), which requires the submission of a Visitor Information Packet at least 30 days prior to the visitor’s arrival at UTC.

For more information and guidance in determining whether a Visitor Information Packet must be completed, please refer to the decision tree on the Visitors Engaged in Research web page, or send questions to The Office of Research Integrity at [email protected]. 

Collaboration Best Practices

Collaboration in research activities allows researchers to expand their positive impacts and accomplish goals that might otherwise be unduly challenging. UT is deeply committed to fostering a culture of responsible research that supports collaboration both with colleagues inside the university and beyond. As with all research activities, there is an expectation that the collaborative relationship will evolve. Because successful collaboration is rooted in communication and shared understanding, researchers are encouraged to evaluate potential collaborative activities for these elements:

• Mutual respect
• Open communication and sharing unless restricted by a nondisclosure agreement or export control requirements
• Complementary skills, resources, and efforts
• Shared understanding of responsibilities and tasks
• Shared understanding of data management
• Frequent communication regarding research activities, changes in scope
• A shared understanding of authorship expectations

International Collaborations

The University of Tennessee, including its campus at Chattanooga, is a globally engaged university and welcomes faculty, staff, students and postdoctoral fellows from around the world to its vibrant research community. The institution supports this world-class research community and their many productive international research collaborations while also complying with federal research security requirements.

• International research collaborations may be formalized through memoranda of understanding (MOUs) or other similar documents, which are typically broad agreements with no exchange of funds. At UTC, these arrangements are reviewed and supported by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs and the Office of Research Integrity.
• All proposals and sponsored research projects at UTC, regardless of whether the sponsor is foreign or domestic, are administered through Cayuse and managed by the UTC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP). 
• All foreign organizations and foreign nationals engaged in a proposal or sponsored project must be identified on the Cayuse Export Control page, including UTC researchers who are foreign nationals.
• Proposal documents, such as biographical sketches, current & pending support, and resource documents must disclose the international support and affiliations of researchers engaged in the project. Contact the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for information about the disclosure requirements of specific federal agencies.
• Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) identifying foreign nationals or organizations as recipients must undergo compliance review by the Office of Research Integrity following submission to the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
• Some international collaborations are not described in MOUs, sponsored projects, or MTAs. Biographical sketches of foreign collaborators and a description of planned activities and any shared resources should be vetted by the Office of Research Integrity (contact [email protected]) and approved by the Department Head, Dean, or Provost.

Questions about engaging in research collaborations with foreign organizations or foreign nationals? Contact the Office of Research Integrity at [email protected].