Visiting Scientists and Scholars

I. General Policy Statement - Introduction ▾

The Visiting Scientist/Scholar Policy is established to facilitate the interaction of University of Maryland, Baltimore (University) faculty with other scientists, colleagues and students who will have access to University research resources, facilities and faculty, not otherwise available to the public.

University faculty are encouraged to seek collaboration opportunities with colleagues and scientist affiliated with other academic institutions and/or from the for-profit sector. University faculty are also encouraged to provide training opportunities to students who receive financial support from their employer/company and/or from foreign governments. These individuals may visit the University and have direct access to University research facilities, resources and faculty.

In order to facilitate these interactions, while protecting the University's rights, it is important to strike a balance.

The Visiting Scientist/Scholar Policy provides this balance.

A. On one hand the Policy permits:

  • Faculty to engage in on-campus, hands-on open research collaboration with professionals who are working in the academic, public, industrial and international communities;
  • Faculty to have interchange of information; and
  • Faculty to provide training and educational opportunities to students who may be employed and supported by the public, industrial and international communities.

B. On the other hand the Policy protects:

  • the University's existing or potential intellectual property rights; and
  • the University's contractual obligation to sponsors.

II. Purpose ▾

The purpose of the Policy is to provide University faculty with guidelines to accomplish the following:

A. Provide a mechanism for hands-on instruction and/or research collaboration capability using University faculty, resources and laboratory facilities, to individuals who are not University employees;

B. Provide safeguards to ensure compliance with University System of Maryland (USM) policies and procedures, in particular USM intellectual property rights;

C. Provide safeguards to ensure compliance with University contractual obligations to federal and industrial sponsors;

D. Provide safeguards for the University to retain original copies of laboratory notebooks;

E. Provide safeguards for the University to require the visiting scientist to submit any reports or other outstanding documents prior to leaving the University of Maryland to the appropriate designated University individual.

III. Application ▾

A. Anyone who will be working, training or observing in a University laboratory or other clinical facility and who is not subject to or covered under USM Employee or USM Student Policy.

  • Employees working in the public, private industrial and/or international community who are representing and receiving financial support from their institution or company.
  • Students and trainees who are not covered under USM Student Policy and registered as USM students who may be representing and receiving financial support from either an institution or company.
  • Individuals who are external "collaborators" and or "consultants," who are not University employees.

B. The Visiting Scientist/Scholar is someone who will have on-going, hands-on access to USM facilities and resources that are not otherwise available to the public.

IV. Policy

University faculty must, prior to arrival of the visitor on campus, require that the Visiting Scientist/Scholar execute a Visiting Scientist Agreement or Visiting Scholar Agreement. If the Visiting Scientist/Scholar will be representing a company or an institution or if his/her activities as a Visiting Scientist/Scholar will be subject to employment or contractual requirements at the company or institution, the agreement must be co-signed by the appropriate representative who is authorized to execute agreements and bind the outside company or institution.

The Visiting Scientist or Visiting Scholar is precluded from beginning the program at the University until a fully-executed agreement is obtained.