This article is the first of two dealing with international sponsored
projects. The second article will appear in the Spring, 1994 issue of
the Journal of the Society of Research Administrators (vol. 25, no. 4)
. Both articles are intended to serve as guides for use by project dir
ectors and administrators preparing proposals and negotiating awards.
Because working in western Europe is less complex, the articles emphas
ize issues related to projects in newly industrializing and less devel
oped countries. In general, this article focuses on the terms of award
that relate either to sensitive topics for international sponsors or
to significant legal or financial risk to an institution. These observ
ations are meant to be an overview of some of the terms and conditions
of international contracts, which may differ significantly from those
of domestic sponsors.