Foreign Interference and Foreign Arrangements

Notification is not required when:

• Serving on program committees for foreign conferences
• Reviewing grants for foreign funding agencies
• Purchasing commercial goods
• Any engagement where the lead institution is another Australian university

Notification is required when:

• Engaging in joint research involving at least one foreign entity, as a collaborator and/or funder.
• Engaging staff in a foreign country for research purposes.
• Research data collection from foreign agencies.
• Paid or honorary participation in international research activities.
• Co-authoring a research output in collaboration with a sanctioned entity.

Notification is not required when:

• Co-authoring a research output with foreign partner that is not a sanctioned entity.
• Engaging in multi-party research collaborations where ANU is not directly involved with any foreign collaborators (i.e. is not the lead university).
• Engaging in preliminary or informal communication about potential research collaboration. Notification to FIAC will only be required prior to commencement of formal negotiations or collaborations.

Notification is required when:

• Undertaking consultancy work/services on behalf of or with foreign clients, including personal consultancy for a foreign entity even if undertaken as paid outside work under the 52-day rule.

Notification is required when:

• Paid or honorary appointments in foreign entities for ANU staff
• Honorary and visiting appointments of foreign academics to ANU (FIAC approval is required prior to providing invitation letter).
• Teaching appointments or engagements
• Involving ANU staff with foreign entities (online or offline)
• ANU Staff undertaking advisory role with foreign entities

Notification is not required when:

• Paid appointments of foreign academics to ANU unless requested by chair of recruitment panel or equivalent.

Notification is required when:

• Engaging a supervisor from a foreign institution
• Co-supervising a HDR candidate based in a foreign institution
• Arranging individual visiting students from foreign institutions under VaHa (FIAC approval is required prior to providing invitation letter)
• Arrangements where students receive a scholarship or stipend from a foreign country (FIAC approval is required prior to providing supporting letter to apply for the scholarship or stipend from a foreign country).
• Engaging in agreements for institutional dual & joint awards with foreign institutions
• Individual foreign student Dual and Joint Award PhD candidature (only where the agreement does not fall under institutional dual & joint award agreement)
• Engaging in a paid or unpaid internship with a foreign entity
• Individual student co-tutelle arrangements with a foreign institution

Notification is not required when:

• Examining the PhD thesis of a student enrolled at foreign university
• Undertaking travel for fieldwork that is ANU or self- funded

Notification is required when:

• Research contracts & agreements involving at least one foreign entity (MoUs, contracts, agreements, Novation, Amendments)
• Subcontract agreements or arrangements involving at least one foreign entity (individuals, academics, institution, universities)
• Contracts, agreements, or MoUs related to consultancies; commercial services, research commercialization agreements involving at least one foreign entity
• Contracts with an Australian company where the head office is located outside Australia
• Contracts between ANU and foreign entities via ANU Enterprise
• Philanthropic agreements between ANU and foreign entities
• Non-disclosure agreements, Material transfer agreements, Data Sharing agreements involving at least one foreign entity
• MoUs, contracts or agreements related to international partnerships and agreements (including but not limited to admission pathway agreements, joint and dual awards agreements, articulation agreements, transnational education partnerships agreements, staff and student exchange agreements, institutional dual & joint award agreement and/or study abroad agreements).
• MoUs, contracts or agreements related to undergraduate and postgraduate student internships with a foreign entity.

Notification is not required when:

• Sub-agreements that come under existing grants that have already received FIAC endorsement (provided that there is no change in the original grant endorsement).
• Minor variations to existing agreements that have already received FIAC endorsement, where there is no major change in field of research and no change in the foreign entities involved.
• Contracts, agreements or MoUs, relating to projects which are located outside Australia but do not involve any foreign entities.

Notification is required when: 

• Travelling, including visiting foreign institutions, undertaking overseas fieldwork, attending an overseas seminar, webinar, symposium, workshop or conference, where the travel is funded by a foreign entity.
• Approvals for the delegation visits from a foreign institution or government to ANU to discuss educational/research partnerships, attending training programs etc. - Contact the ANU International Office.

Notification is not required when: 

• Undertaking self-funded or ANU funded overseas travel to attend a workshop, seminar or a conference.
• Undertaking field work or visits to foreign countries as part of research, where the travel is part of an existing grant that has already received FIAC endorsement, provided that the visit is consistent with the original endorsement.
• Hosting foreign researchers at ANU (up to a week) to attend a seminar, workshop or a conference (visitors from sanctioned countries need a FIAC approval prior attending)