Harvard Schools and research centers operate more than a dozen offices outside the United States. Locations managed by Harvard research centers support research, teaching, and collaborative activities in their country or region by students and faculty from across the University. Locations managed by Schools support these activities for students and faculty from their individual School. Several offices have staff from a research center, who support University-wide activities, and staff from a School, who support activities of that particular School, in the same space. A full list of Harvard's locations abroad can be found here.

Proposals for new offices must be reviewed by the University Committee on International Projects and Sites (UCIPS). The UCIPS ordinarily follows a two-stage process for review of proposals for new offices abroad: first is authorization to explore; next is authorization to implement. Therefore, proposals for a new office come before UCIPS twice, usually at least six months apart, and as much as 12 months apart or more.

Proposals for a new office should include the following:

• Brief history of the proposing unit and its (and/or Harvard’s) engagement with the country/region in question
• The case for an office: Why an office? Why now?
• Description of the office’s activities:
  • What will it do?
  • Will it focus primarily or exclusively on supporting work of the home unit’s faculty and students? Or might it seek to expand on the home unit’s Cambridge-based mission, perhaps by making internship or research opportunities available to students from multiple Schools, or by hosting conferences/seminars/symposia that include scholars from other graduate and professional schools? Note that there is no correct answer to these questions. Both types are represented among current Harvard offices. But either should be explained on its own merits and should acknowledge the reasons for not choosing the alternative.
• Draft budget, staffing plan, timeline
• Exit strategy, if relevant
  • What if the office opens but anticipated funding sources don’t materialize?
  • Is the proposing unit prepared to close the office if it “doesn’t work”?

The second proposal – proposal to implement – should be an expanded version of the first, adding details and revisions based on input from UCIPS members and the Provost.