UPNG works under formal agreement with universities, government departments, industry and development partners. This is how an organisation starts that conversation.
A partnership with the University is a working arrangement with something specific in it: staff and student exchange, joint research, shared laboratory or library access, curriculum advice, scholarships, or co-supervision of postgraduate students.
Most begin as a conversation with a School about work both sides already want to do, and are then written up as a memorandum of understanding so the commitment survives a change of staff on either side. An MoU that does not name activities, people and a term is not worth signing, and the University will say so.
The forms of agreement the University uses, and what each is for.
A statement of intent between the University and another institution, setting out the areas both sides intend to work in. Non-binding in itself; specific work follows under a separate agreement.
Covers a named research project: the work, the funding, the people, the ethics approvals, data handling and who owns and may publish the results.
Sends UPNG students to a partner institution and receives theirs, with credit recognised at both ends. Covers fees, insurance, visas and student support.
Sets the terms on which an employer hosts UPNG students for practicum, fieldwork or internships — supervision, safety, confidentiality and assessment.
For organisations funding scholarships, prizes, a chair or a facility. Sets the selection criteria, the reporting the sponsor receives and how the gift is recognised.
Allow two to three months from first contact to signature. Most of that time is spent agreeing what the partnership will actually do.
Partnerships work when academics on both sides want the same thing. Approach the School closest to your field, or write to the Planning Division and be directed to it.
Come with a proposal, however short: what you want to do, with whom, over what period.
The School and your organisation agree the specific activities, who is responsible for each, what each side contributes, and how long the arrangement should run.
The Planning Division prepares the draft on the University's standard form, covering intellectual property, confidentiality, insurance, dispute resolution and exit.
The draft is reviewed by the University's legal and finance officers and cleared through the Vice-Chancellor's office. Agreements with financial or property implications go to the University Council.
Council meets quarterly — factor that into your timeline.
The agreement is signed by the Vice-Chancellor and your authorised signatory, usually at a short ceremony on campus. Both sides nominate a coordinator.
Coordinators report annually on what the partnership has produced. Agreements that have gone quiet are allowed to lapse at the end of their term rather than being renewed by default.
The University does not enter agreements that give exclusive rights over research findings, or that would restrict its staff from publishing.
Agreements are coordinated by the Planning Division on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor's office.
Planning Division — Partnerships
Agreement types, terms and timelines on this page are a guide. The University's standard forms and current delegations govern in every case.