Browse Definitions :
Definition

memorandum of understanding (MOU or MoU)

WhatIs.com

A memorandum of understanding (MOU or MoU) is a formal agreement between two or more parties. Companies and organizations can use MOUs to establish official partnerships.

MOUs are not legally binding but they carry a degree of seriousness and mutual respect, stronger than a gentlemen’s agreement. Often, MOUs are the first steps towards a legal contract. In US law, a memorandum of understanding is synonymous with a letter of intent (LOI), which is a non-binding written agreement that implies a binding contract is to follow.

MOUs are popular in multinational international relations because, unlike treaties, they take a short time to ratify and can be kept confidential. MOUs may also be used to modify existing legal treaties.

See also: prime contract, digital signature, contracting officer, partner relationship management, partner

 

 

Continue reading about memorandum of understanding:

Here is an example of a MoU between the National Science Foundation and NASA.

Oil-for-Food is an international MoU.

This was last updated in January 2011

Join the conversation

4 comments

Send me notifications when other members comment.

Register

Please create a username to comment.

Dear Sir,

We have purchased a property in partnership for 5 people. One of my partner has decided to register the property to his name and he has considered for doing the MOU for another 4 peoples. My 1st Question is- is it correct? and My 2nd qtn is - is it having the MOu for equal rights ? Please advice me as soon as possible.
Cancel
Can two branches of same company enter into a Memorandum of Understanding?
Cancel
I'm developing a memorandum of understanding between community agencies and the coalition they have created. Is it appropriate to allow this memorandum to serve as an agreement between two of the many agencies. For example: Agency 1 has received a grant and needs Agency 2 to accept and oversee the grant.
Cancel
If a MOU is made between two parties that is damaging to a third, can that third party seek to have it overturned can any one help  
Cancel

-ADS BY GOOGLE

File Extensions and File Formats

SearchCompliance

  • compliance audit

    A compliance audit is a comprehensive review of an organization's adherence to regulatory guidelines.

  • regulatory compliance

    Regulatory compliance is an organization's adherence to laws, regulations, guidelines and specifications relevant to its business...

  • Whistleblower Protection Act

    The Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989 is a law that protects federal government employees in the United States from ...

SearchSecurity

  • reverse brute-force attack

    A reverse brute-force attack is a type of brute-force attack in which an attacker uses a common password against multiple ...

  • orphan account

    An orphan account, also referred to as an orphaned account, is a user account that can provide access to corporate systems, ...

  • voice squatting (skill squatting)

    Voice squatting is an attack vector for voice user interfaces (VUIs) that exploits homonyms (words that sound the same but are ...

SearchHealthIT

SearchDisasterRecovery

  • business continuity policy

    Business continuity policy is the set of standards and guidelines an organization enforces to ensure resilience and proper risk ...

  • business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR)

    Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) are closely related practices that describe an organization's preparation for ...

  • warm site

    A warm site is a type of facility an organization uses to recover its technology infrastructure when its primary data center goes...

SearchStorage

  • RAM (Random Access Memory)

    RAM (Random Access Memory) is the hardware in a computing device where the operating system (OS), application programs and data ...

  • primary storage (main storage)

    Primary storage is the collective methods and technologies used to capture and retain digital information that is in active use ...

  • cache memory

    Cache memory, also called CPU memory, is high-speed static random access memory (SRAM) that a computer microprocessor can access ...

Close