Once the partnership has been deemed a good fit, and once an agreement has been reached, it will be formalized in writing, laying out the framework for the relationship.
It would be beneficial for partners to familiarize themselves with CIHR's definitions in relation to partnering and collaborations.
The partnerships we discuss in this guide are not partnerships in the legal sense, where actions committed by each party are legally binding on the other. Rather, a partnership is a formalized working relationship between two or more organizations with separate identities and independent accountabilities and is based on mutual benefit and a clear understanding or agreement that sets out the shared goal and objectives and the terms of the arrangement. The parties involved in a partnership:
A collaboration is an interaction between two or more organizations guided, as in a partnership, by shared interests. However, unlike a partnership, the parties may not all contribute resources or share equally in the benefits or risk taking. They do, however, agree to share information openly and act cooperatively.
A funding collaboration is a business transaction in which two entities exchange things of value, whether financial, in-kind, or benefits related to visibility/exposure, or publicity.
These forms of cooperation are different from contracts, which are an agreement between a contracting authority and a person or firm to provide goods, perform a service, construct a work, or to lease real property. Contracts do not have the degree of mutual interest that partnerships or collaborations do. A contract is required any time CIHR purchases goods or services from an external party.
