The content of the collaboration agreements endorsed by the Instituto Cervantes with teaching centres to grant them membership of the "Network of Associate Centres" will be formulated by the parties involved, adhering, without exception, to the general aims of the accreditation system of the Instituto Cervantes. Agreements must include:

a) Identification of the Parties

b) Purpose of the Agreement
Membership of teaching centres in the "Network of Associate Centres" and authorisation to employ the denomination "Instituto Cervantes Accredited Centre" if located in Spain and "Instituto Cervantes Associate Centre" if outwith Spain, as well as the corresponding logo.

c) Obligations of Participating Parties
Among other obligations, the agreement binds teaching centres conceded membership of the 'Network of Associate Centres" of the Instituto Cervantes to undertake to:

1. Offer classes in Spanish as a second language, through general language courses and specialised courses related to different fields of professional activity, at least in conditions equivalent to those set by the assessment body.

2. Carry out, where necessary, teacher training programmes at the centres, in keeping with the module assigned them by the Instituto Cervantes.
- Module 1: 30 hours, with a minimum of 10 hours the
first year.
- Module 2: 20 hours, at the rate of 10 hours a year.
- Module 3: 10 hours.
In any case, it falls to the centres to propose to the Instituto Cervantes the content of the courses comprising the assigned module.
Selection of the teaching staff members who will offer the teacher training programme will follow the criteria set by the Instituto Cervantes.

3. Foster student participation in the examinations for the Diploma in Spanish at centres, if they also hold these examinations, or in other examination centres in the area.

4. Encourage student attendance at cultural activities organized by Instituto Cervantes centres and at other institutions in the area offering activities geared towards spreading culture in Spanish.

5. As regards associate or accredited centres' exploitation of the logo in media publicising the teaching of Spanish as a second language, the norms of graphic identity provided by the Instituto Cervantes must be respected.

6. Pay the Instituto Cervantes the accreditation or association fee established annually by the Instituto Cervantes for each country. This is payable to the Instituto yearly (Jan. 1st - Dec. 31st) and in each year the corresponding, proportionate quota will apply.

The annual fee for accredited centres in Spain will be 1,200 € for 2010. For other countries, please consult Annual Fee section

7. Fees will be due as follows: the first payment is due thirty days after the initial signing and successive renewals of the agreement. The remainder is payable by bank transfer during the first two months of the year into the current account indicated by the Instituto Cervantes.

8. Pay, where applicable, the costs of creating the teacher training programme mentioned in Section 2 above.

1. Authorise centres to employ the denomination "Instituto Cervantes Accredited Centre" or "Instituto Cervantes Associate Centre" and the corresponding logo in keeping with the norms of graphic identity fixed by the Instituto.

2. Include accredited or associate centres in the list of accredited and associate centres forming part of the network to be publicised by the Instituto Cervantes in a variety of media.

3. Add accredited or associate centres to the list of users who will have access to the exclusive IT network which the Instituto Cervantes plans to create specifically for institutions with membership of the "Network of Associate Centres".

4. Offer accredited or associate centres technical guidance, through the exclusive network, in a variety of areas dealing with the development of academic activities. For example, course design and development, methodology, assessment, or the creation of academic projects to improve teaching quality (needs analysis strategies, assessment questionnaires, etc.) may be covered.

Without exception, collaboration agreements will stipulate that:

1. Accredited or associate centres will not, either formally or functionally, join the public institution known as the Instituto Cervantes nor the centres which it possesses outwith Spain.
Therefore, although accredited and associate centres join the "Network of Associate Centres", their own legal status remains unchanged and subject to such legal norms as are applicable in their particular case.

2. Accredited and associate centres maintain responsibility for their own academic, administrative, financial and fiscal management etc. and as such remain completely independent. The Instituto Cervantes accepts no responsibility of any kind in this respect.

3. The management, teaching and administrative staff as well as those of any other category in accredited or associate centres will have no contractual relationship, or any other kind, with the Instituto Cervantes.

4. The Instituto Cervantes reserves the right to carry out any visits to accredited or associate centres it deems necessary in order to find out and evaluate the state of development of the activities and services offered.

5. Accredited or Associate centres must also respond to requests from the Instituto Cervantes for information concerning the teaching of Spanish as a second language and the spread of culture in Spanish.

d) Agreement Renewals
To renew the agreement centres must inform the Instituto Cervantes eight months before the agreement expires.
Centres are free to apply for this appraisal from the assessment body which provided the previous one or from any other assessment body authorized by the Instituto Cervantes. When making application, centres must indicate the period of validity of the collaboration agreement signed with the Instituto Cervantes.