COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
By and Between the
________________________
And the
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
This Cooperative Agreement (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into as of ________________
(the “Effective Date”) by and between The University of Florida Board of Trustees, a public body corporate
and university of the State of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, United States of America for the
benefit of One Health Center of Excellence for Research and Training, hereinafter referred to as "Florida,"
and
, a _____________________________ located in ______________________ , hereafter
referred to as “ _____________ ." Florida and __________ shall collectively be referred to herein as the
“parties.” The parties hereto agree as follows:
I.
Philosophical Intent
a.
Florida and
The primary objective of this Agreement is the development of cooperative efforts between
, which will enhance the academic and research interchange between the two
institutions. Recognizing the importance of mutual collaboration and the contributions to society made
by institutions of higher education, the parties desire to promote exchange between the faculty and
students of the two institutions as well as the exchange of academic and research information.
b.
Specific projects in an area of educational or research interest will be selected as a result of
coordination by Florida and
at the appropriate administrative level in each institution. As these
projects are developed, each will require a specific written agreement made in advance, setting forth the
terms and conditions thereof and executed by authorized representatives of both parties. The President,
Dean of the International Center, or the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost are
authorized signatories for Florida. ________________ is the authorized signatory for ________________.
II.
General Provisions
a.
All collaborative activities conducted pursuant to this Agreement shall be conducted in
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accordance with the laws and regulations that apply where the activities take place and each of the
parties shall also comply with the laws, regulations and policies applicable to it. In the case of Florida,
these include the laws of the United States of America and of the State of Florida, and the rules,
regulations and policies of Florida and the Florida Board of Governors. In the case of
include the laws of
b.
and the rules, regulations and policies of the
, these
.
The “term” of this Agreement begins on the Effective Date and continues for a period of
five (5) years thereafter. The term may thereafter be extended in a written extension signed by authorized
representatives of both parties.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, either party may terminate this
Agreement early by giving at least 60 days' advance written termination notice to the other party,
specifying the end date (or a shorter notice period if earlier termination is required to comply with
applicable laws).
c.
Notices with respect to this Agreement shall be provided to the parties as indicated on
Attachment A hereto, entitled “Administration of Program and Contact Information,” which is
incorporated by reference herein.
d.
The English language version of this Agreement shall govern in the event of a conflict or
ambiguity with any translation in another language, and resolution of disputes shall be conducted in
English. Termination of the Agreement shall be the only remedy for breach of this Agreement, except
respecting a breach of clause “e” below. This Agreement is the only agreement of the parties concerning
the subject matter covered and supersedes and voids any previous or contemporaneous negotiations,
drafts, and other communications. Captions are for convenience and have no legal effect. Waivers of
any provisions contained herein are only effective if made in writing by the authorized signatory of the
waiving party and cover only the particular provision waived on the particular occasion.
e.
This Agreement does not confer any rights in or to use trademarks, logos or names,
except to factually state that this Agreement between the parties is or was in effect during the term and
that University of Florida and _________________________________ are or were collaborating on the possible
development of projects of mutual interest in health education or research or in a dispute, any media
statements concerning this Agreement or the parties’ activities under it must be agreed upon in advance
by the parties through their news offices.
f.
The relationship of the parties under this Agreement is that of independent contractors
(not legal partners) and no party has the authority to bind the other party in contract or to incur any
debts or obligations on behalf of the other party.
g.
Under this Agreement, there are no payments owed or earned by either party to the
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other, there is no physical presence, residence or bank account established by either party in the other
party’s country, there is no intellectual property to be developed, and, with the exception of brief visits,
the activities of each party will be largely undertaken in its home country. It is not expected that any tax
or excise will be owed or filings will be required by either party or their employees to or in the other
party’s country as a consequence of entering into this Agreement.
If intellectual property will be
developed for a project, the terms set forth in Attachment B attached hereto shall apply and be
incorporated as part of this Agreement. If funding is being pursued for a project, the parties will enter
into a separate written agreement to set forth the conditions and agreements between the parties related
to such funding.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have executed two original counterparts of this
instrument, each of which, when all counterparts are delivered, shall be considered an original, in the
presence of a witness whose signature also appears below.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
[NAME OF COOPERATING INSTITUTION]
By:________________________________________________
Prof. Leonardo A. Villalón
By:____________________________________________
XXX (Name)
Dean, UF International Center
XXX (Title)
Date:_____________________________________________
Date:_________________________________________
WITNESSED
WITNESSED
__________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Date:_____________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________
Form pre-approved as of May 2012 by Office of the Vice President and General Counsel at University of Florida; any changes to the form must
be approved by the Vice President and Office of General Counsel.
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ATTACHMENT A
ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Florida -- Administration of this Agreement for Florida is housed in the International Center at the
University of Florida. Such functions are under the direct responsibility of the Executive Director,
International Center; provided that the authorized signatories to contract for Florida are the Dean of the
International Center or the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. Academic
responsibilities are housed in College of Public Health & Health Professions. Correspondence
regarding this Agreement and activities under it shall be directed to:
UF Administrative/Fiscal Management
Dr. Susanne Hill
Executive Director
International Center
P.O. Box 113225
170 HUB
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida, 32611-3225
Phone: 352-273-1500
Fax: 352-392-5575
E-mail: shill@ufic.ufl.edu
http://www.ufic.ufl.edu
UF Academic Management
Dr. Gregory Gray
Center Director and Professor
Environmental and Global Health Department,
College of Public Health & Health Professions
P.O. Box 100188
101 S. Newell Dr, Suite 2150A
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida 32610
Phone: 352-273-9449/9418
Fax: 352-273-6070
E-mail: gcgray@phhp.ufl.edu
<<Name of Foreign Institution>>: Administration of this Agreement for ______ is by ________,
provided that the authorized signatory to contract for _________ is __________. Academic responsibilities
are housed in __________. Correspondence regarding this Agreement and activities under it shall be
directed to :
(SECTION TO BE COMPLETED BY COOPERATING INSTITUTION)
Partner Institutional Contact
Name
Title
College
Department
Office Address
City, State, Postal Code
Country
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Website:
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ATTACHMENT B
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND FUNDING TERMS
Ownership of any inventions, improvements, or discoveries, patentable or unpatentable, which
are conceived or made solely by one or more persons who are employed solely by the
University of Florida, shall be determined in accordance with the policies of the University of
Florida.
Ownership of any inventions, improvements, or discoveries, patentable or unpatentable, which
are conceived or made solely by one or more persons who are employed solely by the
___________, shall be determined in accordance with the policies of ____________.
Ownership of any inventions, improvements, or discoveries, patentable or unpatentable, which
are conceived or made by one or more persons, all of whom are simultaneously employed or
appointed by the University of Florida and ____________, shall be determined in accordance
with the University of Florida Intellectual Property Policy and any applicable provisions of the
conflict of interest exemption monitoring plan.
Ownership of any inventions, improvements, or discoveries, patentable or unpatentable, which
are conceived or made by more than one person, where at least one such person is employed
solely by __________ and at least one such person is simultaneously employed or appointed by
the University of Florida and by _________, shall be jointly owned by the University of Florida
and __________ (with respect to University of Florida, in accordance with its Intellectual
Property Policy and any applicable provision of the conflict of interest exemption monitoring
plan), subject to any other applicable agreements.
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ADDENDUM to the COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
by and between the
___________________________________
and the
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
One Health Center of Excellence
for Research and Training
Based at the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute
As a specific project under our cooperative agreement we agree to collaborate in the One
Health Center for Research and Training that is home-based at the University of Florida. The
information regarding this center is appended to this document as “One Health Center of
Excellence for Research and Training”, dated November 20th, 2013.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have executed two original counterparts of this
addendum, each of which, when all counterparts are delivered, shall be considered an original,
in the presence of a witness whose signature also appears below.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
OTHER INSTITUTION’S NAME HERE
By:________________________________________________
Gregory C. Gray, MD, MPH
Center Director and Professor Environmental and
Global Health Department, College of Public
Health & Health Professions
By:________________________________________________
[Official Institutional representative]
Date: _____________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________
By:________________________________________________
J. Glenn Morris, MD, MPH&TM
Director, Emerging Pathogens Institute
By:________________________________________________
[Official Institutional representative]
Date: _____________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________
By:________________________________________________
Prof. Leonardo A. Villalón
Dean, UF International Center
By:________________________________________________
[Official Institutional representative with final
signature authority]
Date: _____________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________
Page 6 of 10 Cooperative Agreement
February 8, 2016
One Health Center of Excellence
for Research and Training
Based at the University of Florida
Summary: With rapid transportation of people, animals, and food, now the norm in many world economies, we
are facing new complex zoonotic diseases and food safety problems on a scale never seen before. To respond
to and control these problems, we will need new approaches. One Health, a new interdisciplinary approach,
has been embraced as a way forward by many groups of professional experts (Table 1). In this proposal we
outline a strategy to create an international network of institutions that embrace the One Health approach and
agree to collaborate in research and education.
Table 1. Organizations that have endorsed the One Health Initiative as of January 2013
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of Public Health Physicians (AAPHP)
American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians
American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians
American College of Veterinary Microbiologists
American College of Veterinary Pathologists
American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine
American Medical Association
American Nurses Association
American Physiological Society
American Phytopathological Society
American Society for Microbiology
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
American Veterinary Medical Association
Association of Academic Health Centers
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges
Association of Schools of Public Health
Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn,
Alabama (USA)
Bella Moss Foundation, United Kingdom
Biomedical Technology, Epidemiology and Food Safety Global
Network: Brno, Czech Republic
CAB International (CABI) http://www.cabi.org
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas
A&M University (USA)
Conservation through Public Health (CTPH) http://www.ctph.org/index.php
Corporation Red SPVet, Bogota-Columbia
Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST)
Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
Croatian Society for Infectious Diseases
Delta Society
Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine
Exuberant Animal
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE)
Global Alliance for Rabies Control
Immune Macro Biotic Technology (IMBT), UK
Immuno Valley Consortium in The Netherlands
Indian Veterinary Public Health Association
Institute of Tropical Medicine, Department of Animal Health, Antwerp,
Belgium
Italian Society of Preventive Medicine
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians
National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
National Park Service (USA)
New Zealand Centre for Conservation Medicine (NZCCM) - Auckland
Nigerian Biomedical and Life Scientists
Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association
One Health in Epidemiology, Massey University, New Zealand
Praecipio International
SAPUVET III Project
Silent Heroes Foundation
Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine
SpayFIRST, Inc.
State Environmental Health Directors
United States Animal Health Association (USAHA)
Veterinarians without Borders/ Vétérinaires sans Frontières - Canada
Veterinarni Medicina, the international journal for biomedical and
veterinary sciences http://vetmed.vri.cz/
Volunteers for Intercultural and Definitive Adventures (VIDA) www.vidavolunteertravel.org
WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE http://www.wildcoast.net/
World Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians
Zoonotic and Emerging Diseases, Edinburgh, UK
from http://www.onehealthinitiative.com/supporters.php
Need: In 2001, Taylor et al. published a report documenting that 868 (61%) of the 1415 organisms known to
be pathogenic to humans are zoonotic, with 99 (75%) of 132 emerging human pathogens considered
zoonotic.1 They further demonstrated that zoonotic pathogens are twice as likely to be associated with
emerging human diseases than non-zoonotic pathogens.1 Examples of emerging zoonotic diseases include
many that have captured international attention and have been associated with animal workers: Ebola virus,
SARS virus, avian and swine influenza viruses, Hendra virus, hepatitis E virus, Nipah virus, human
immunodeficiency viruses, and monkey pox virus. Zoonotic pathogens have been associated with countless
large food-borne disease outbreaks. Control of these zoonotic infections are difficult because they often
originate in rural agricultural settings and human health professionals are often not trained to recognize, report
or mitigate these hazards.
The success of public health practitioners in recognizing and preventing zoonotic illnesses is inhibited by
lack of training. In addition, there are significant gaps in data such that they cannot make informed decisions
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regarding health and safety policy. These gaps are often due to under-reporting of occupational infections.2
Controlling zoonotic infections is further complicated by the complex ecological nature of these pathogens. For
example, a government investigation of a deadly Q Fever outbreak in farm animals and farm workers in the
Netherlands showed that response to the outbreak was slow, uncoordinated, and delayed by poor
communication and collaboration between public health, medical and veterinary communities.3 Similarly, our
understanding of how to reduce the threat of emergent pathogens in food, such as methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and pathogenic E. coli, are tremendously lacking. Former US Surgeon
General Susan Blumenthal recently summarized the zoonotic pathogen and food safety problem well:
Over the past five years, from the E. coli scare found in California spinach to the recent outbreak of
salmonella in ground turkey, serious and sometimes fatal illnesses resulting from contaminated food have
occurred more frequently than expected. Since 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has issued 39 warnings of multi-state foodborne illness occurrences….It is estimated that 48 million
people are infected by foodborne diseases in the United States each year, resulting in $152 billion in medical
costs annually. And these outbreaks show no sign of abating; the incidence of salmonella infections alone
has increased 20 percent since 1997. With 170 countries exporting food to the U.S., and more than 70,000
food safety violations on food that is imported into America reported from 1998 to 2004 alone, the E. coli
outbreak in Germany -- with additional cases reported in France and the U.S. -- shines a spotlight on why the
issue of food safety is an international concern.4
Many emerging zoonotic diseases are associated with animals and farming. Health professionals who tackle
these problems need to have an understanding of zoonotic disease risk factors that in the past have been
stove piped into separate training programs for premarket and post-market food safety, human public health,
veterinary health, and environmental health. As the
ecology of zoonotic infections is often very complex,
preventing zoonotic infections often requires multidisciplined partnerships. Researchers need special crossdisciplinary training to develop practical interventions for
reducing such zoonotic infections. Such interventions
may include educational programs for workers, increasing
the availability of personal protective gear, developing
engineering controls, developing rapid and simple-to-use
clinic-based-diagnostics, employing vaccines against the
zoonotic agents, and improving food storage systems.
The One Health approach
Cross-disciplinary international collaborations are
required in tackling difficult global health problems. This is
particularly true with respect to zoonotic diseases and
food safety where the concept of working across
disciplines has been termed the One Health approach
(Fig. 1). One Health thinking seeks to include human,
animal and environmental experts in problem solving.
Internationally applauded, the One Health approach is
strongly endorsed by human medicine, public health,
veterinary medicine, the CDC, and various other national
and international institutions and organizations. Perhaps it
is best summarized by this quote from the American
Veterinary Medical Association:
Fig. 1. Complex zoonotic disease problems often cannot be solved
without the partnership of professionals from a number of
disciplines to identify the often inter-related human, animal, and
environmental risk factors
Although new opportunities have emerged to promote health in the rapidly changing human, animal, and
environment domains, our ability to protect, improve, and advance health cannot be based on strategies and
mindsets in the past. Rather, we need to adopt an integrated, holistic approach that reflects both our profound
interdependence and the realization that we are part of a larger ecological system—exquisitely and elaborately
connected.5
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It is clear to the numerous international, national, and professional organizations that have embraced the
cross-disciplinary One Health approach, that zoonotic infections are so complex that they cannot otherwise be
well-controlled through standard single discipline approaches. Through interdisciplinary training of
professionals, environments will become safer as hazards will be identified faster, controlled more efficiently,
and prevented through effective education.
Purpose: In this proposal we agree to link up our institutions in a network of One Health research and training
collaboration. We propose the University of Florida as the core of this collaborative Center, as the University of
Florida is already very well-positioned to organize this international research and education network. This is
due in part because our campus, unlike most other US campuses, has 16 health science and land-grant
colleges that provide the unique multi-disciplinary research and training engagement (public health, agricultural
health, environmental engineering, and veterinary health) that such a collaborating Center requires.
Regarding research, the University of Florida’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, established in 2010 is an
interdisciplinary institution that is already home for numerous international scholars working on zoonotic
disease and food safety threats. In fact, approximately 200 investigators are now associated with the institute
collaborating with international investigators from more than 50 countries. We will build upon these already
well-established collaborations. In addition, we are already engaged in international One Health research
efforts. A good example is the NIH/NIEHS/FIC-sponsored One Health GEOHUB we are building in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia. As guided by the University of Florida, this research Hub is designed to guide
environmental and occupational research in Romania, Albania, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Kazakhstan.
We have also recently won a NIH-funded 5-yr grant to employ One Health, international and interdisciplinary
approaches to tackle Mongolia’s difficult zoonotic problems. As another example, we are drafting a proposal for
developing an international research network to study emerging adenovirus threats (killer cold virus) and have
easily found willing collaborators who agree to share respiratory specimens (Fig. 2).
Fig 2. International network of collaborating laboratories for adenovirus surveillance
Regarding education, the University of Florida is again an internationally recognized leader in interdisciplinary
training. Already, through the University of Florida’s College of Public Health and Health Professions, The
Department of Environmental and Global Health, we have three levels of formal One Health graduate
education which are the first in the United States:
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


Certificate in One Health – The primary purpose if this nine-credit hour certificate is to provide One
Health-specific training to public health, veterinary health, and environmental health professionals and
students who wish to follow such careers. Training includes lectures, tutorials, field experiences,
laboratory exercises, public health demonstrations, and written exams. This is the first such One Health
certificate in the United States.
Master’s of Health Science, One Health Concentration - The 40-credit hour MHS program is
designed to provide students with advanced analytical skills for applied research careers and a solid
knowledge base of public health and theory. This degree includes advanced research and technical
skills needed to address emerging and global environmental health threats. The MHS curriculum
addresses a diverse range of health issues, but has a strong focus upon infectious diseases. Courses
are carefully structured to enable students to develop competence in very specific health skills. This is
the first such One Health Master’s degree program in the United States.
PhD in Public Health, One Health Concentration – This 90-credit hour PhD program is a researchoriented health degree that emphasizes working across public health, veterinary health, and
environmental health disciplines to tackle difficult health problems. The PhD program focuses on global
health and infectious diseases, while emphasizing research and elements of grant writing and funding.
This is the first known One Health PhD degree program in the world.
Strategy: The Center will be directed by Professor Gregory C. Gray, MD, MPH of the University of Florida.
Center activities will be promoted through a dedicated web site, email messages to various professional
distribution groups, and success in winning research grants and producing research projects.
Benefits to center institutions: There are likely many benefits to collaborating institutions under this Center.
Some are now recognized and others will be recognized later. Recognized benefits include:
 Access to rich and diverse opportunities to collaborate in research with University of Florida faculty,
laboratories, and institutions.
 Special reduced graduate tuition rates as currently approved for the Certificate and MHS One Health
programs. See http://egh.phhp.ufl.edu/academic-programs/
 Leadership in organizing an International Symposium on One Health Research to be held every 2 to 3
years.
 Increased probability to win research funding via the collaborative network.
 Access to the Center’s technical scientific editing service for manuscript and scientific report
generation. Details to be described at a later date
 Exchange of faculty for engaging graduate students.
 Exchange of laboratory and modeling professionals for research training.
 Exchange of graduate students for enhanced learning opportunities.
References:
1. Taylor LH, Latham SM, Woolhouse ME. Risk factors for human disease emergence. Philos Trans R Soc
Lond B Biol Sci. Jul 29 2001;356(1411):983-989.
2. Organization IL. Report VI: Safety and Health in Agriculture. . Geneva: International Labor
Conference;2000.
3. Khan L. Lessons from the Netherlands. Bulletin of Atomic Scientists 2011; http://www.thebulletin.org/webedition/columnists/laura-h-khan/lessons-the-netherlands. Accessed January 10, 2011, 2011.
4. Blumenthal S. Food Safety In The 21st Century. Huffington Post. 2011.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-blumenthal/food-safety_b_918282.html. Accessed August 8, 2011.
5. Association AVM. One Health : A New Professional Imperative: AVMA; July 15, 2008 2008.
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