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The Norwegian Research Technology Forum in the
U.S. and Canada Third Annual Forum Advisory
Board Meeting Session 3 Institutional
Partnerships as Instruments to Enhance
International Higher Education and Mobility of
Researchers Lessons Learnt, The Way
Forward October 4, 2004 Washington University
Club
Office of International Research
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McGill University in numbers

• A comprehensive and research-intensive
  university, with an international reputation for
  establishing innovative cross-disciplinary
  research programs and networks. The university's
  educational and research resources include
• 11 faculties Agricultural and Environmental
  Sciences, Arts,
• Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law,
  Management,
• Medicine, Music, Religious Studies and
  Science
• The McGill University Health Centre and two
  other affiliated
• teaching and research hospitals the Jewish
  General
• Hospital and the Douglas Hospital and
• More than 50 research and inter-university
  centres and
• 6 off-campus research stations, including one
  in the High
• Arctic and another in Barbados.

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McGill University in numbers

• McGill's total operating revenue is in the order
  of 898 million per year, with more than 314
  million in research funding (CAD, FY 2003-04).
• As of January 2003, academic staff numbered 1,436
  tenure-track and tenured professors, and 3,992
  research associates, part-time and visiting
  staff.
• A student population of more than 30,000,
  including 7,000 graduate
  students, of which
• 18.8 at the undergraduate level are
  international and
• 24.2 at the graduate level are international.
• In 2003, the university was named the Canadian
  Research University of the Year in the
  Medical/Doctoral category.

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McGill University beyond the mission statement

• Overarching goal
• To advance significantly McGills standing,
  capacity and contributions as an internationally
  important public research-intensive university.
• Institutional strategies
• Recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty
  and staff
• Recruiting and supporting superb students
• Engaging our alumni and the broader community
• Generating and growing distinctive research and
  scholarly
• programs of international rank and
• Providing excellent educational programs.

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The Office of International Research an overview
Mandate 1. OIR plays a liaison and advocacy role
vis-à-vis Canadian and foreign government
agencies and private sector companies and
foundations, as well as with the numerous
academic and administrative units at the
university which have an international
component to their activities.   2. OIR is
involved in the development of proposals to
ensure full technical and budgetary
compliance, thus helping increase McGills
success rate in highly competitive calls.
The Office also identifies new and
non-traditional sources of funding and has
been very successful in diversifying the pool
of donors supporting international activities.
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The Office of International Research an overview
Mandate (continued) 3. Upon project selection,
the Office acts as the authorized
representative of the university and takes the
lead role in negotiating contractual terms
and conditions with project partners and
funding agencies. 4. Once a contract or a grant
agreement is in place, OIRs team of
professionals promotes and ensures the
application of the highest standards of
business practices in the operational and
financial management of McGills
international projects.
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The Office of International Research how OIR
works within McGill
Currently the Office oversees in excess of 85
active projects and provides support to another
70 under development. On-going initiatives are
worth over 70 million (CAD). In 2003-04, 40 new
international contracts or grants were signed,
with a total value of 11.2 million (CAD).
However, the real number of international
collaborations taking place is much higher.
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OIR Project Support Services
Proposal Preparation
Team building Risk assessment
Confidentiality agreement Budget forecast
preparation Pre-qualification for certain types
of competition Overall proposal review
Compliance with McGill and funding agency
policies and guidelines
OIR advises faculty members and liaises with
partners and sponsors throughout the project.
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OIR Project Support Services
Contract Negotiation
Legal, insurance and financial review Ethics
compliance Bilateral/consortium agreement
Intellectual property rights protection
Endorsement from the Executive Committee of
the Board of Governors Signature by authorized
representative
OIR advises faculty members and liaises with
partners and sponsors throughout the project.
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OIR Project Support Services
Project Implementation
Support and oversight for Operational and
financial project management Preparation and
submission of narrative and financial
reports Auditing of projects
OIR advises faculty members and liaises with
partners and sponsors throughout the project.
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The value of institutional partnerships
The days of first world universities performing
philanthropic works in developing countries are
long gone. Whereas international activity was
once primarily a hobby for a few privileged
faculty members, the model that works today is
that of a partnership of equals based on respect
and trust. Modern, meaningful institutional
partnerships involve academic units rather than
individuals and are based on shared values and
complementary skills. They consist of exchange of
knowledge, technology and scholars, and access to
research facilities. Projects with a lasting
impact have at their core the missions common to
the universities of both worlds teaching and
research. François Carrier, AUCCs Uniworld,
October 2004
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What makes international collaborations work
Dedication and patience are high on the list of
skills required for any researcher, but when
working internationally, Carrier believes, you
have to go beyond the call of duty. Dealing
with foreign governments and agencies can lead to
headaches. Ask professors what it's like to wade
through the guidelines of some international
proposals and many will say they tend to be
filled with incomprehensible acronyms and
confusing technical jargon. "It could be
nightmarish to handle this paperwork," says
Carrier. "We help demystify these requirements so
even before applying, the professor knows exactly
the kind of work administratively that needs to
be done." François Carrier, AAASs NextWave,
July 2004
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Case in point Memoranda of Understanding

• Requests for renewal and proposals for MOUs must
  meet the following criteria
• A profile of the partner institution, its
  particular research
• strengths and how they complement those of
  McGill.
• An outline of the collaborative activities that
  have already
• taken place or are currently underway.
• A description of the planned joint activities,
  the faculty
• members involved in these activities, and an
  indication of the
• potential sources of funding.
• A clear explanation of why an agreement is
  necessary for
• the realization of these joint activities.
• Outcome Over the last 2 years, McGill University
  pro-actively reduced the number of its bilateral
  agreements from 80 to 45.

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Case in point Canada-China "3x4" University
Partnership
In 1994, the presidents of University of British
Columbia, McGill University, University of
Montreal and the University of Toronto agreed
with the presidents of three universities in
China - Nankai University, Peking University, and
Tsinghua University - to sign an agreement to
collaborate on mutually beneficial activities.
The 3x4 partnership is a mechanism for
strengthening the international scholarly
activities of each of the member institutions,
based on research and teaching collaboration,
student and faculty exchanges and visits, sharing
of library resources, and examination of
intercultural perspectives and experiences. Seven
areas were identified as points of
interest. Outcomes Two projects implemented, in
biotechnology and in water resources management.
1.5 million were left unspent.
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Case in point Universitas 21 Consortium
Universitas 21 is an active network of 16
internationally competitive research and teaching
universities that see increasing value in
operating collaboratively. It is a small
association of kindred universities, which helps
its members establish operational links around
the world and assists them in developing
arrangements for student and staff exchanges. It
also provides international benchmarks relating
to quality, funding levels, fee requirements,
research outcomes, student support services,
infrastructure provision, management efficiency
and related matters for the member institutions.
Outcomes U21 Global Business School, U21
Pedagogica, Fellowships and Scholarships for
staff, e-books initiative, more familiarity and
inter-operability between the partner
institutions.
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Case in point Partnership in International
Management
PIM is an international consortium of 52 business
schools that facilitates exchange of MBA or
master degree-equivalent students among its
member institutions, encourages the development
of joint ventures and cooperation among faculty
members and researchers. Outcomes Short-term
exchange programs through Summer Program and
Executive Education, Annual Meetings, but little
professorial interactions, as these tend to work
one-on-one. 2- or 3-way collaborations did spin
off, such as the NYU-Stern, LSE and HEC-Paris
offering the joint TRIUM Executive MBA, or
McGills MBA-Japan, in association with Sophia
University.
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Case in point Institute for European Studies
Inaugurated in 2000, the Institute promotes the
study of the European Unions political and legal
system, its history as well as the different
languages and cultures of its member states. To
achieve these objectives, the Institute focuses
on two types of activities teaching and
research. The IES is a joint venture of the
Université de Montréal and McGill University.
Just as several others created in the U.S. and
Canada (Cornell University, University of
Toronto, UBC), it is supported by the Commission
of the European Communities on a shared cost
basis ( 120,000 per year, until
2005-06). Outcomes A program of lectures,
conferences, seminars, international exchanges
and scholarships. Graduate programs in European
Studies are being developed.
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Case in point Microwave Processing in China
Towards Cleaner Industry and Environment
Between 1997 and 2003, the Canadian International
Development Agency supported the transfer of
microwave-assisted and microwave food processing
technologies to China, and consolidation of the
commercial and environmental benefits to both
countries. The 5 million (CAD) project was lead
by McGill's Faculty of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences, with the following
partners Nankai University, China Research
Academy of Environmental Science, Environment
Canadas Environmental Technology
Centre. Outcomes Analytical work and
development of new products using microwave
synthesis. Human resource development via staff
training and reciprocal exposure of national
experts to the other countrys culture and needs.
Long-term collaborations between the partner
institutions on further development of this
project.
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Case in point Fulbright Visiting Research Chairs
Fulbright Visiting Research Chair Awards are
intended to encourage collaboration among
Canadian and American scholars and to facilitate
the development of long-term institutional
linkages between the two countries. The
shared-cost program offers grants for periods
ranging from one semester to a full academic year
to U.S. scholars and professionals. Scholars
apply to fill a specific position associated with
a particular field of study identified by the
Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program and McGill
University. Outcomes Two new Chairs are
presently offered for the 2004 competition, one
in the Faculty of Arts and another in the Faculty
of Law. They will enable prominent scholars to
conduct research and to guest lecture at McGill
on a broad range of contemporary issues.
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Case in point Ph.D. exchange program in French
language and literature
Each year, an advanced doctoral student from both
McGill's Faculty of Arts and the École normale
supérieure (ENS-Paris) is given the opportunity
to spend a year at the partner institution to do
research under the supervision of a specialist in
their field, as well as to teach courses.
Funding mechanism is internal to both
institutions, consisting of cash and in-kind
contributions. Outcomes Increase in the
knowledge through access to rare resources.
Establishment of important contacts for future
collaborations. Practical experience through
teaching of undergraduate courses. Exchange of
teaching and research practices. A similar
arrangement is under discussion with the French
National Institute for Research in Computer
Science and Control (INRIA).
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Case in point France-Canada Research Fund
The Fund encourages and develops a level of
excellence in France-Canada exchanges in the
fields of research and higher education. It was
created with an initial grant of 1.6 million
(CAD), with matching contributions from France's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 16 top-flight
Canadian universities. Priorities for bilateral
scientific cooperation are life and health
sciences, information technologies, environment,
social and human sciences. In a second phase,
the focus will shift to expanding the Fund
through private or public contributions or the
inclusion of additional universities and research
organizations in both countries. Outcomes More
than 30 seed grants awarded, permitting joint
presentations of papers delivering recent
research results, and some exchanges of graduate
students and professorial mobility.
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Case in point Faculty of Musics participation
in the Enactive Interfaces Network
This multidisciplinary network of excellence,
supported by the Sixth EU Framework Programme (
7 million), aims at structuring research on a new
generation of enactive human-computer interfaces
capable of conveying and understanding gestures
of the user in order to provide a response in
perceptual terms. These interfaces present a wide
potential of applications in all the fields
related to human-computer interaction. The
network consists of 22 European partner
institutions and one U.S. partner. McGill's
participation is supported by the Québec
Government, providing matching contribution to
the tune of 100,000 over three years. Outcomes
Connecting leading experts in Europe and North
America. Likelihood of long-term impact on our
music technology laboratorys research activities.
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Conclusion Internal Factors

• At McGill, other than academic excellence of our
  professors in teaching and research, success in
  international collaborations resides in
• Institutional priorities
• Faculty-level strategic planning
• Responsive administrative support units
• Entrepreneurial culture (the cost/benefit ratio
  is looked
• at very carefully, but it is also a matter of
  mindset)
• Some of several emerging issues being considered
• Setting up an internal fund to support
  participation in
• "big science" projects (e.g. Human Genome
  Project)
• Outsourcing of research activities and
  capabilities
• (e.g. to India, China)

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Conclusion External Factors

• Some of the current trends are 
• In Canada, relatively modest but strategic
  instruments in
• main granting councils such as NSERC, CIHR and
  CFI for
• seeding or supporting international
  collaborations. Similar
• instruments are present in Quebec, but not in
  other provinces.
• Funding agencies with principles and tangible
  commitment to
• international research, such as NIH, remain the
  exception.
• In Québec, governmental support to student
  mobility and to
• some extent to internationalization of
  curricula. Europe, through
• its various instruments (ERASMUS and SOCRATES)
  is the gold
• standard.
• Emphasis by some organizations to focus on
  capacity
• development projects with developing world
  institutions,
• instead of promoting a research fundamental
  or applied
• agenda.

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