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Home > About the University > Policy Directory > Cotutelle Agreements Policy

COTUTELLE AGREEMENTS POLICY

Date approved:	23 June 2006	Date Policy will take effect:	23 June 2006	Date of Next Review:	April 2009
Approved by:	University Council
Custodian title & e-mail address:	Director, Research Student Centre research_student_centre@uow.edu.au
Author:	Director, Research Student Centre
Responsible Faculty/ Division & Unit:	Research Student Centre
Supporting documents, procedures & forms of this policy:	UOW Cotutelle Guidelines UOW Cotutelle Agreement Proposal Form
References & Legislation:	French Ministerial Regulations DEST: Administrative Information for Providers (November 2005) DIMA: Overseas Students on Exchange Programs in a Third Country Higher Education Support Act, 2003 (Commonwealth) General Course Rules Academic Grievance Policy (Higher Degree Research Students) International Linkages Policy Intellectual Property Policy Code of Practice - Supervision
Audience:	Public – accessible to anyone
Expiry Date of Policy:	Not applicable

Contents

• 1 Purpose of Policy 2
• 2 Definitions 2
• 3 Application & Scope 3
• 4 Policy Principles 3
• 5 Proposed UOW Conditions for Conjoint Cotutelle Agreements 3
• 6 Roles & Responsibilities 6
• 7 Version Control and Change History 6

1 Purpose of Policy

• 1. To set out clear and defined conditions for the establishment and management of Cotutelle Agreements between the University of Wollongong (UOW) and French institutions, governing joint doctoral degrees from both institutions.
• 2. A Cotutelle Agreement is a unique agreement defined under French law. For the purposes of this policy, it is an agreement between UOW and a French institution; governing a joint doctoral degree from both institutions (the candidate will receive a UOW Doctoral degree and a Doctorat from the partner institution). Under such an agreement, the Doctoral degree is recognised on the UOW transcript and testamur and the relevant certification of the French institution as having been awarded under a Cotutelle Agreement with the partner institution.
• 3. The Cotutelle Agreement aims to:
• a. enhance bilateral international research collaboration, including the recruitment of research students;
• b. improve the opportunities for doctoral research students to undertake international study;
• c. enhance access by doctoral students to up-to-date technologies and equipment, and the finest supervision; and
• d. allow international students to gain access to funding mechanisms which may otherwise be unavailable.

2 Definitions

Word/Term	Definition (with examples if required)
Candidate	A student in the process of completing the requirements for a degree.
Candidature	The undertaking of a course of study.
Commonwealth Grant	A grant provided to University students by the Commonwealth, as per the Commonwealth Grants Scheme.
Contact Officer	The UOW officer responsible for implementing, communicating, maintaining and reviewing the policy; and responding to queries regarding the policy.
Cotutelle Agreement	An agreement between an Australian University (in this case UOW) and a French institution, governing a joint doctoral degree from both institutions.
Domestic Student	A student who is an Australian Citizen, Australian Permanent Resident, or New Zealand Citizen and is studying at an Australian (in this case UOW) institution.
FEAST	Forum of European-Australian Science and Technology Cooperation
Formal Exchange	A formal agreement between a provider and an overseas higher education institution to have a reciprocal exchange of students over time.
Home Institution	The institution at which the candidate has primary enrolment.
Intellectual Property	A product of the intellect that has commercial value, including copyrighted property such as literary or artistic works, and ideational property, such as patents, appellations of origin, business methods, and industrial processes.
Joint /Double Badged Program	A joint degree program between UOW and any other institution whereby one degree is awarded by both UOW and the other institution.
Partner / Host Institution	The institution at which the candidate has secondary enrolment.
RTS	Research Training Scheme
Scholarship	An award of access to an institution and/or a financial aid award for an individual for the purposes of furthering their education.
Student Visa	A document issued by a country giving a certain individual permission to enter that country for a given period of time for the purpose of study.
Tuition Fee	A fee to cover the educational costs of a program.
Viva Voce	An oral examination.

3 Application & Scope

• 1. This policy is to be referred and adhered to by all UOW staff and students when establishing and/or managing a Cotutelle Agreement. It is not applicable to Joint/Double Badged programs. UOW does not have a policy or practice that relates to Joint/Double Badged programs outside of Cotutelle Agreements.

4 Policy Principles

Not Available

5 Proposed UOW Conditions for Conjoint Cotutelle Agreements

• 1. The following conditions will apply to UOW Cotutelle Agreements with French Institutions.

Process for Establishment of a Cotutelle Agreement

• 2. A Cotutelle Agreement must be drawn up between the two participating institutions in respect of each candidate, detailing the specific arrangements pertaining to that particular candidature.
• 3. A proposal for a Cotutelle Agreement must be completed using the UOW Cotutelle Agreement Proposal Form. When completing a Cotutelle Agreement proposal, authors should refer to the UOW Cotutelle Agreement Guidelines, and the French Ministerial Regulations, in addition to this policy.
• 4. Once approval is granted by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) (see section 7.15 regarding approval), the Cotutelle Agreement Proposal must be submitted to the Research Student Centre. The Research Student Centre will liaise with the Legal and Commercial Unit, who will draw up a Cotutelle Agreement between UOW and the partner institution. The Research Student Centre is responsible for negotiating and finalising the Agreement.
• 5. Cotutelle Agreements should take effect from the beginning of candidature, however under certain conditions retrospective approval may be sought for existing candidates. The same process for the establishment of a Cotutelle Agreement is required for existing candidates.

Existing Research Collaborations

• 6. A Cotutelle Agreement will normally be initiated in cases where there has been a history of research collaboration between the two institutions/departments or research groups.

Time Spent at Each Institution

• 7. The Cotutelle candidature must be divided between the two institutions with alternate stays at each and a minimum of 30% (two semesters full-time or part-time equivalent) at the host institution. An indicative timetable for candidature at both institutions must be specified in the Agreement.

Duration

• 8. The duration of a Doctoral degree under a Cotutelle Agreement is the same as a normal Doctoral degree, that is, taking 2-4 years to complete as a full-time candidate (General Course Rule 6.30).

General Conditions of Candidature

• 9. The conditions of and regulations pertaining to candidature at the partner institution must be compatible with UOW guidelines and regulations, as detailed below (or in the absence of guidelines at the partner institution, UOW guidelines/regulations shall apply). In the case of a significant variation, this should be foreshadowed and resolved in the initial agreement documents.
• 10. Candidature related matters would include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• Admission Requirements - note that UOW requires its entry requirements to be met by all students whether from UOW or the partner institution
• Code of Practice - Research
• Code of Practice - Supervision
• General Course Rules
• Student Conduct Rules
• Academic Grievance Policy (Higher Degree Research Students)
• Ethics Clearances
• Occupational Health and Safety and Equity protocols

Intellectual Property

• 11. The Cotutelle Agreement must specify any intellectual property agreements or conditions; and copyright of the thesis will be assigned to the candidate. All Agreements must comply with the IP Intellectual Property Policy.

Fees

• 12. The Cotutelle Agreement must set out the arrangements for candidature fees and expenses. Cotutelle Agreements will be conducted as formal exchange agreements between the two institutions. Formal exchange programs involve a formal agreement between a provider and an overseas higher education institution to have a reciprocal exchange of students over time. These arrangements allow UOW domestic students to pay for their overseas study under the provisions of the Higher Education Support Act. These arrangements also allow overseas students to pay for the study they undertake in Australia under the fee regime that applies to them in their home country. 1

UOW Domestic Student Fees

• 13. UOW domestic student will be granted a Research Training Scheme (RTS) place or a domestic tuition fee exemption scholarship at UOW. As such, a UOW domestic student with an RTS place will be covered for all studies through this grant scheme and will not pay fees at the participating French institution.2

UOW International Student Fees

• 14. UOW International student will pay either the standard tuition fee for their course or may be granted a scholarship to cover their tuition fees. See clause 5.17 regarding overseas students on exchange programs in a third country.

French Student Fees

• 15. A student whose nominated home institution is the French institution will pay tuition fees to their home institution as per that institution’s fee regime and will not pay fees to UOW. The Cotutelle Agreement will specify provision for the candidate's research costs including laboratory/fieldwork funding, which is provided by the University deemed the primary location.

Living and Other Costs

• 16. Other incidental fees and charges, health cover, travel and associated costs, accommodation and personal expenses are the responsibility of the candidate.

Visas

• 17. Students are enrolled as a doctoral student at both universities and are eligible to apply for a Student Visa for the period of research overseas. Students studying in Australia and France are subject to strict visa conditions and should contact the Department of Immigration in the country they are travelling to in order to acquaint themselves with their possible visa requirements. Students will themselves be responsible for undertaking the student visa application process. Overseas students in Australia on a student visa (in this case UOW International Students) are allowed to participate in an international exchange program in a third country, subject to conditions.3

Supervision

• 18. The Cotutelle Agreement must list the two principal supervisors who are to undertake the joint supervision, one per institution, and at least one co-supervisor from UOW. Additional associated supervisors from either institution may be appointed, as appropriate. The partner institution must agree to apply the Code of Practice - Supervision when supervising Cotutelle candidates.

Language of Instruction

• 19. Instruction shall be in the language of instruction for each institution. The candidate must therefore be able to meet both the English proficiency requirements of UOW and the language proficiency requirement of the partner institution.

Examination Process

• 20. The Cotutelle agreement will specify the nature of the examination process, and funding for expenses for examiners attending a Viva Voce examination (oral defence). Funding of examiner’s expenses is the responsibility of the home institution, unless otherwise negotiated in the Cotutelle Agreement.

Location of Examination

• 21. The examination will be carried out at the candidate’s home institution, unless otherwise stipulated in the Cotutelle Agreement.
• 21.1. If the examination is carried out by the French institution, at least two examiners will be appointed by each institution. These examiners will prepare draft written reports on the thesis, which are to be made available to the candidate and the examining jury (selected by both institutions together). A Viva Voce examination (oral defence) will be required, that is, the candidate will be required to defend the thesis in person in French or English and to provide an oral summary in the other language. The oral defence may be conducted by video or audio conferencing. The candidature will not progress to the oral defence stage if the examiners are not convinced of the candidate’s preparedness.
• 21.2. If the examination is carried out under UOW procedures, each institution will appoint two examiners, including the principal French supervisor, if that is required by the French institution’s examination rules. A Viva Voce examination would be required only where an examiner returned a ‘revise-and-resubmit’ recommendation (General Course Rule 10.61(c)).

Qualifications of Award

• 22. The French Doctorat is normally awarded with one of the following qualifications: honorable, très honorable or très honorable avec felicitations (honourable, highly honourable, highly honourable with congratulations). This will be accommodated within the UOW examination process by specifically asking examiners for their recommendation in respect of the Doctorat.

Costs incurred by Examiners

• 23. Any additional costs incurred during the examination, other than those which currently apply, would be borne by the home institution, as stipulated in the Cotutelle Agreement.

Award of Degree

• 24. When the required time spent at each institute, and the required conditions for examination, have been met, a candidate will receive a UOW Doctoral degree and a Doctorat from the partner institution in respect of that candidature. The UOW testamur and transcript and the relevant certification of the French Institution must specify that the award is made as a consequence of a Cotutelle Agreement with the “University of . . . . . .”.

Approval of Proposal and Agreement

• 25. The Cotutelle Agreement Proposal Form must be signed off by the Dean and Head of Unit, and the Chair of the relevant Faculty Research Committee, and must then be approved by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research). Once approved, the Cotutelle Agreement, drawn up by the Legal and Commercial Unit, must be signed off by the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and the appropriate officers at the French institution.

6 Roles & Responsibilities

• 1. Roles and responsibilities are as specified in this policy.

7 Version Control and Change History

Version Control	Date Effective	Approved By	Amendment
1	23 June 2006	University Council	New Policy
2	6 May 2009	Vice Principal (Administration)	Migrated to UOW Policy Template as per Policy Directory Refresh

¹ Source: DEST: Administrative Information for Providers (November 2005) Section 18: Exchange and study abroad students. Available at: http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/higher_education/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/AIP_2005/default.htm See also Consolidated Commonwealth Grant Scheme Guidelines-Chapter 11: Fees in respect of overseas students

² The completion of a Doctoral degree by a UOW student in a Cotutelle arrangement will contribute to an Australian higher education institution’s total completion count and will be included in the completions component of the formula for allocating Research Training Scheme funding (Reference TBA).

³ Source: DIMA, Overseas students on exchange programs in a third country. Available at: http://www.immi.gov.au/study/providers/third_country_exchanges.htm.