One of the main values of the Baltic International Academy and goals of the Academy’s International Department stipulated in the Internationalisation Strategy of the Academy as in the integral mid-term development plan. The long-term Baltic International Academy’s Development Strategy is to build new international links and develop partnerships with other higher educational institutions, organisations, associations, units and networks worldwide for the joint action, development of academic, research and scientific collaboration, various types of mobility and inter-university programmes, Summer and Winter schools, trainings, internships, short-term courses and professional non-degree programmes, innovative research, global oriented new knowledge creation, as well as maintenance, development, strengthen and diverse existing co-operation ties to achieve new stage of development and interaction with international higher education community.
The Academy’s basic principles for the partnership and entering into cooperation agreements are:
- willing to work collaboratively on contribution to development of sustainable teaching, education, science and research and strengthen their interconnection;
- existence of similar fields of studies and similar study directions/study programmes;
- interest from the study directions/study programmes in building, development and deepening cooperation;
- list of prior international activities for at least the next year.
All partnerships begin with a formal signing of an indefinite or fixed-term agreement which sets out the form, content and responsibilities of each partner and provides assurance that partner institutions agree to fulfill their responsibilities.
The Academy usually uses its own agreements templates or approved grant programmes’ templates (ERASMUS+ programme), nevertheless, in some cases, the partner’s templates can also be approved, especially for exchange, Inter-University programmes, Double Degree or Transfer agreements.
Agreements can be either Study Direction Specific, Study Programme Specific or Inter-University. Some of the agreements can include appendixes as a list of planned activities, financial agreement or schedule, programme or module mapping, administrative schedule that form/-s the integral part of these agreements.
Some of the agreements may include the list of responsible persons at the administrative level who monitor the implementation of the schedules and obligations as well as effectiveness of a particular collaboration.
Every Director of our Study directions and programmes can discuss the partnership type and potential benefits of cooperation with the Study Direction’s Council, our International Department or/and Board Members and to offer an additional or the most appropriate type of cooperation to underpin a specific arrangement and goals of the certain study direction or programme, the Academy’s Development Strategy and our Internationalisation Strategy. The partnership proposal may also be rejected.
We welcome international diversity of our academic, research, scientific and student bodies and have identified different types of cooperation partnership which are fully in line with our Internationalisation Strategy’s goals and align to our partners’ aspirations.
- General Bilateral Cooperation Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
General Bilateral Cooperation Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is non-binding and is designed to express willingness to establish partnership relations and to unite efforts in achieving the goals defined by the agreement. This agreement includes general principles, directions and forms of mutual understanding, preferable types of cooperation, goals and plans shared by parties being the main platform and the basis for development and implementation of joint programmes and activities, separate specific agreements.
The following directions and forms of further cooperation can be set within the General Bilateral Cooperation Agreement or MoU:
- exchange of specialists, professors and members of academic and administrative staff;
- ensuring the possibility to exchange students within the framework of educational and scientific programmes including participation in joint programmes and projects, as well as in the conferences, seminars, round tables and other events, etc.;
- conducting joint research in the areas of mutual interest, scientific and research activities in the focal areas of fundamental and applied scientific research;
- sharing experience of organisation and methods of conducting classes, applied educational technologies;
- implementation of common projects and programmes of training;
- joint participation both in national and international educational programmes and projects;
- conducting and organisation of professional and vocational training courses, scientific and research seminars, conferences, symposia, round tables and other events for students, academic and administrative staff;
- development and publishing of joint study materials, preparation of joint scientific monographs, publications, articles, etc.
If you are interested in signing such type of a cooperation agreement with the Academy and would like to become our Partner University please, contact our International Department by email:
- Bilateral Inter-Institutional Agreement in the framework of the ERAMUS+ Student and Staff Mobility within Programme Countries
All Higher educational institutions (HEIs) which would like to collaborate with the Academy under the ERASMUS+ Student and Staff Mobility within Programme Countries and to develop this direction of inter-institutional cooperation must be awarded the ERASMUS Charter for Higher Education (нужна сноска) and must sign a Bilateral Inter-Institutional Agreement (нужна сноска) with the Academy stating the specifics of the individual cooperation. By signing a Bilateral Inter-Institutional Agreement, the Partner university agrees to cooperate for the exchange of students, academic and/or administrative staff and to comply the requirements of the European Charter for Higher Education, ERASMUS+ programme and signed agreement.
If you would like to sign a cooperation agreement in the framework of the ERAMUS+ Student and Staff Mobility within Programme Countries please, contact our ERASMUS+ Department by email:
- Bilateral Inter-Institutional Agreement in the framework of the ERAMUS+ Student and Staff Mobility between Programme and Partner Countries (International Credit Mobility)
This type of the Bilateral Inter-Institutional Agreement can be signed only in the framework of the ERASMUS+ KA107 (International Credit Mobility) Projects for those HEIs that jointly with the Academy applied for the ERASMUS+ KA107 Project and after the acceptance of Grant receiving. It cannot be signed outside this Grant. The Inter-Institutional Agreement must be signed before mobility begins and can cover more than one HEI. The original text of this agreement cannot be altered, but some new clauses can be added.
If you would like to apply and submit a proposal to ERASMUS+ KA107 Project with the Academy, please, contact out International Department by email:
- Bilateral Student Exchange Agreement
This is an official agreement that is signed by the Academy with the Partner HEIs in other country based on a General Bilateral Cooperation Agreement or MoU and which allows students to study a part of their study programme, usually one or two semesters based on the signed Learning Agreement at a Partner University without paying tuition fees, but does not cover other expenses as: accommodation, travel, food, insurance, etc.
The Bilateral Student Exchange Agreement usually include credit accumulation and transfer, which will be applied towards the degree award at the home HEI.
Every such agreement includes specific information as level of studies, allowed number of exchange students per academic year, duration of exchange, etc. The agreement can apply to all study programmes of the Academy or be concluded for a definite study direction.
You can receive additional information on such type of cooperation in our International Department by email:
- Agreement in the Sphere of Science and Research
The purpose of this Supplementary Agreement is the joint contribution of Partner HEIs to the establishment, development and strengthening of cooperation in the field of science and research based on beneficial interest.
This type of cooperation agreement can be concluded not only with HEIs, Study Directions or Study Programmes, but also with scientific and research institutions or scientific centres of both HEIs within the scope of their competence.
The Agreement in the Sphere of Science and Research usually includes such forms of cooperation as:
- exchange of scientific technical and scientific research information, documentation, literature and publications;
- exchange of PhD students, scientists and researchers;
- organization of science internships;
- organization and maintenance of joint scientific and research projects and developments;
- organization of joint studies, seminars and scientific conferences;
- establishment of joint scientific laboratories and centres
This agreement can be concluded based on a General Bilateral Cooperation Agreement or MoU.
You can get more information about this type of cooperation in our International Department by email:
- Transfer Agreement
The Transfer Agreement is developed based on comparison of the curriculum of the similar study programmes of the Academy and the Partner HEI and recognition of equivalence of study courses of one or more study programmes delivered by the Academy or the Partner HEI. Usually credits achieved for the approved studies at one HEI is transferred to the study programme at the another HEI.
This comparison allows students to continue their studies at the appropriate level or study semester at the Partner HEI or at the Academy.
Students who successfully complete the study programme receive a diploma of a Partner HEI, they can also award a diploma of their Home HEI, but in this case they will have to take an additional period of study to pass the difference in curriculum.
If you are interested in signing a Transfer Agreement with the Academy please, contact our International Department by email:
- Double Degree Agreement
The Double Degree Agreement is concluded based on a jointly developed and approved Double Degree programme that leads to separate awards granted by each HEI – the Academy and the Partner University.
A Double Degree programme is a programme collaboratively offered by two or more HEIs located in different countries. This programme usually features a jointly developed and integrated curriculum, mainly designed based on comparison of already existing similar curriculum of both HEIs – the Academy and the Partner University, agreed-on credit recognition and approval of the joint curricula with the indication of the HEI where the study courses will be attended by students enrolled in this programme.
The programme allows students to study at the two HEIs, sometimes in parallel, to complete the programme in less time than in case of separate studies in each HEI and to obtain two separate official degrees or/and qualifications by each HEI upon successful completion of the study programme and diploma defences.
If you would like to design a Double Degree programme and to sign a Double Degree Agreement with the Academy please, contact our International Department by email:
- Joint Degree Agreement
The purpose of the Joint Degree Agreement is to jointly develop, integrate, approve and deliver a new integrated international curriculum that has not been previously designed and is collaboratively offered by two or more HEIs located in different countries.
The Joint Degree programme allows students study at two or more partnering HEIs and upon successful completion of the studies and diploma defences obtain a single degree or/and qualification issued and signed jointly by all institutions involved in the programme.
The Academy usually signs this type of agreement as part of its participation in the European Grants, since they require sufficient financial investment and accreditation in each country.
If you would like to design a Joint Degree programme with the Academy, apply for a European Grant and sign a Joint Degree Agreement on the implementation of such a programme please, contact our International Department by email:
- Top-Up Degree Agreement
This type of the agreement is concluded by the Academy and the Partner HEI that delivers 1st Level of Higher Professional Education or so-called College study programmes (LQF level 5, EQF 5and ISCED 5) in similar study directions based on review and assessment of the Partner HEI’s curriculum to be deemed equivalent to the identified components of the Academy’s Bachelor’s Degree Programme to allow the Partner HEI’s graduates to apply for the late stage of studies at the Academy’s Bachelor’s Degree programme.
It is usually a two-year programme that is build on the graduates’ previous degree and qualification, so they do not have to start their studies from scratch at the Academy and earn a Bachelor’s degree and/or qualification in a shorter period.
If your HEI implements College programmes and is interested in this type of collaboration, please, contact our International Department by email:
- In-depth module Agreement
This agreement involves the joint design, integration, approval and delivery of a module within the existing study programmes leading to awards of both HEIs which may be implemented by the academic staff of both HEIs – the Academy and the Partner HEIs.
Integration of such a module into the curriculum allows to diversify the choice opportunities of students and to allow them to get a relevantly in-depth knowledge of the subject area.
If you are interested in development and joint implementation of this module with the Academy, please, contact our International Department by email:
- Short-term Programmes Agreement
This type of the agreement can be signed by the Academy and the Partner HEIs or organisations for the development and deliver of an appropriate type of short-term programme as: summer and winter schools, internships, language courses, professional and skills development courses, etc., for a certain group of students or participants that can last from a few weeks to a month and leading to the Academy’s certificate, but not to a degree.
If you are interested in this type of cooperation, please, contact our International Department by email:
The Academy is also open to considering other types of collaboration and expanding partnership options.
Two hard copies of the final agreements’ originals must be signed by an authorised signatory, one from each institution before the partnership can be implemented. The final agreements can also be signed electronically using the authorised signatory’s e-signature.
Authorised signatories at the Academy are:
- the Rector or the Board Member/-s for grant agreements such as agreements under the ERASMUS+ Programme, Inter-University agreements;
- the Director of the Study direction or Study Programme and the Vice-rector for International Cooperation for Study Direction Specific and/or Study Programme Specific agreements;
- the Vice-rector for Science and Research and the Rector for Agreements for Scientific and Research Collaboration Agreements.
The Academy keeps all hard copies of the signed agreements in the International Department. We also keep an up-to-date information about our cooperation agreements in the Database of Cooperation Agreements. The Database contains information about the partner institution or organisation, the type of cooperation, terms of the agreement (if applicable) and our Study directions or programmes involved in the implementation of the certain cooperation. This Database also includes all active student, academic and administrative staff exchange agreements outside the ERASMUS+ Exchange programme as well as our active Scientific and Research Collaboration Agreements.
Our ERASMUS+ Department has their own Databases of all signed Inter-Institutional Agreements, as well as the Databases of Student, Academic and Administrative Staff Exchange Agreements.
From time to time we review our cooperation agreements, because some of them may need to be modified, supplemented or extended. This should be done through signing a new agreement or attaching a signed by both parties’ supplement/amendment to the existing agreement. The new signed agreement, supplement or amendment will be attached to the original agreement and relevant changes will be made in the corresponding database.
Each agreement includes clauses on possible termination of the agreement prior the official expiration date. Either party may terminate the agreement provided a written notice is given to the other party six-months in advance. The termination of the agreement will not influence the activities, programmes and projects earlier initiated on its basis; their implementation will be continued on the agreed conditions.
The Baltic International Academy has almost 400 bilateral cooperation agreements with universities worldwide, incl. 150 inter-university agreements under the ERASMUS+ programme with the universities from 25 European countries.
Contact details:
Vice-rector for International Cooperation
Ms. Inta Buka
email:
Phone: +37167100203
Address: 4, Valeria Seile Street., 402 room,
Riga, Latvia, LV-1003
Erasmus + coordinator
Ms. Viktorija Petlaka
email:
Phone: +37167100603
Address: 4, Valeria Seile Street,107 room,
Riga, Latvia, LV-1003
