Our FAQs

UFIT is a collaborative initiative established in 2019 by the Australian Government and Universities to address new threats to academic independence and freedom in Australia's university sector. Its objective is to enhance the sector's resilience against foreign interference while upholding the value of global collaboration.

Managing risks of foreign interference is important to protect the university's research, people, and data from compromise by foreign actors.

The FIAC Submission Form allows ANU staff and students to declare their foreign arrangements, aiding in risk mitigation against foreign interference.

Declaring foreign arrangements helps manage potential risks associated with international collaborative projects. It ensures transparency and safeguards the university, Australia's interests, economy, and national security.

We welcome all members of the University community to submit the form, including ANU students, staff, Visiting and Honorary Appointment (VaHA), visiting personnel, higher degree research candidates, and affiliated agents that undertake services on behalf of ANU.

Before initiating any arrangement involving one or more foreign entities, ensure to declare your foreign arrangement. Submitting the form beforehand ensures compliance with both the University's requirements and government guidelines, granting peace of mind and safeguarding your arrangement. This protects the University community from foreign interference risks and promotes uninterrupted global collaboration. Remember, foreign arrangements should not proceed without FIAC endorsement.

Any arrangement that has the potential for foreign interference risk should be declared to FIAC. This applies regardless of the value of any arrangement. If you are unsure whether an arrangement should be submitted, the safest course of action is to declare your foreign arrangement. This will protect you and ensure that you are engaging in due diligence.

There are several instances when an arrangement is not required to be declared to FIAC. These include:

General

• Co-editing a foreign publication
• Reviewing papers for foreign journals or conference
• Serving on program committees for foreign conferences
• Reviewing of grants for foreign funding agencies
• Purchasing goods
• 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.

Joint research

• Co-authoring research output with foreign parties
• Engaging in multi-party research collaborations where ANU is not directly involved with any foreign collaborators

Appointments or positions

• Attending an activity delivered by foreign entities where attendance is self funded or funded by ANU
• Paid appointments of foreign academics to ANU unless requested by chair of recruitment panel or equivalent.

Higher Degree Research (HDR)

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

Contracts and agreements

• 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

Travels and visits

• Undertaking self funded or ANU funded overseas travel
• 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
• HDR candidates undertaking fieldwork that is ANU funded or self-funded
• Overseas travel paid by foreign entities (formal or informal) where the payment is only to cover reasonable travel (hotel, flights) and out of pocket expenses

Foreign interference involves inappropriate attempts to influence course content, research directions, and the actions of students and staff. Such attempts can lead to self-censoring, which conflicts with the fundamental principle of academic freedom. Safeguarding against foreign interference is crucial to preserve the university's integrity and ensure the free exchange of ideas.

Arrangements involving politically sensitive topics or institutions with government ties are assessed by FIAC. While subject matter may be deemed high risk, FIAC may provide risk mitigation advice and approves arrangements that align with academic freedom.

Applications to FIAC are endorsed to proceed in over 95 percent of cases within two weeks, considering the risks posed by the project, international partner, or research area.