Twinning Agreements

Twinning agreements are formal protocols between two institutions/schools (or two departments or faculties) to enter into mutually enriching, long-term relationships which cover one or more of the following types of cooperation:

• Student exchange
• Faculty/teacher exchange
• Administrator exchange
• Joint research
• Curricula exchange
• Joint participation in seminars and conferences
• Other forms of collaboration

Twinning agreements provide opportunities for students, administrators and faculty/teachers to develop international and intercultural awareness as well as develop overseas contacts and connections. They can enhance the international reputation of both institutions and lead to joint courses, and collaboration in research and publications. Returning participants can play a vital role in internationalization by sharing their experiences and perspectives within the classroom and across the campus.

Establishing a twinning agreement is labour intensive and involves upfront costs in terms of effort and commitment from both sides. Important considerations in establishing such agreements include:

• The degree of institutional commitment
• The financial implications
• The fit with the institution’s overall mission and its international goals
• The mutual benefits
• The process for negotiating, preparing, administering and evaluating agreements
• How the agreement can maximize the impact of international education across the institution.

If you are a faculty member/teacher interested in establishing a link with an overseas institution you should first contact your International Education Office to determine whether a policy, guidelines or links already exist.