Imperial College London defines collaborative provision as:
“all learning opportunities leading or contributing to the award of academic credit or a qualification that are delivered, assessed or supported through an arrangement with one or more organisations other than the degree-awarding body.”
The university has the ultimate responsibility for the academic standards of all the awards, (including collaborative awards) conferred in its name, and for the quality of its learning opportunities, irrespective of where these are delivered or who provides them. Imperial will only enter into a collaborative partnership with another institution/organisation whose quality of provision, mission, vision and ethos are compatible with that of the university.
Information on the processes for establishing, monitoring and reviewing collaborative provision can be found below. Please note these processes do not apply to placements, including study abroad via exchanges – information about these activities can be found on the Placement learning page.
Documents
- Register of collaborative provision
- General principles for working with other organisations
- New collaborative programmes
- Collaborative modules
- Reviewing collaborative undergraduate and postgraduate taught provision
- Reviewing collaborative postgraduate research provision
- Partner research institute scheme, split PhDs & Imperial Recognised Locations
Policy and procedures
The documents in this section should be read in conjunction with the documents listed under the 'General principles for working with other organisations' tab above.
Policy and procedure for new taught (UG and PGT) programmes
- Procedure for establishing collaborative taught programmes [pdf] [pdf]
- Criteria to be considered when establishing programmes with industrial partners
Policy and procedure for new postgraduate research (PGR) programmes
- Procedure for establishing collaborative research programmes [pdf]
- Criteria to be considered when establishing programmes with industrial partners [pdf]
- Responsibilities for managing joint research degrees [pdf]
Forms
The following forms need to be completed for all proposed collaborations.
Policy and procedures
Forms
Policy and procedures
- Guidelines for establishing and reviewing collaborative provision with others [pdf] (under review)
Policy and procedures
- Procedure for review of collaborative research not owned by departments [pdf] (under review)
Partner Research Institution (PRI) scheme
The Partner Research Institution (PRI) scheme permits a student registered for a research degree programme at Imperial to undertake periods of research at a partner and be supported by a local supervisor in addition to the Imperial supervisor(s).
Setting up a PRI may be appropriate when the location/partner offers particular research opportunities that are not available elsewhere and are the only place that the research can be carried out.
A minimum period of attendance at Imperial is required and students may only be registered for the Imperial PhD programme - concurrent registration for a PhD programme at another institution is not permitted.
Further information is available from the documents below.
- Procedure for approval, renewal and review of PRIs [pdf]
- List of approved partner research institutions [pdf]
- Guidance note for supervisors of students at PRIs [pdf]
- Application for registration under PRI scheme [doc]
Split PhD scheme
The Split PhD scheme permits a student registered for a research degree programme at Imperial to undertake specific periods of their research training at an overseas institution where the university already has established links and connections and/or in cases where the research problem requires local fieldwork (e.g. in geology or biology). A local supervisor will be appointed in addition to the Imperial supervisor(s).
A minimum attendance period at Imperial is required and students may only be registered for the Imperial PhD programme - concurrent registration for a PhD programme at another institution is not permitted.
More detailed information is available in the procedure below.
Imperial Recognised Location (IRL)
This procedure recognises/approves locations which have an Imperial staff and student presence but which are not official campuses of Imperial College London. In such cases, these locations offer particular research opportunities that are not available elsewhere and are the only place(s) that the research can be done. Recording these locations as Imperial Recognised Locations (IRL) allows the students to spend all their time studying for their research degree at the IRL where their supervisor is based.
Current approved IRLs are:
- European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva
- Francis Crick Institute, London
- Diamond Light Source and Harwell Science Campus, Oxfordshire
Students will be registered for an Imperial award and follow the same academic regulations and policies as students on an Imperial campus.
Further information can be found in the guidance below.