Explore New International Opportunities and Expand Existing Transnational Collaborations

In the midst of disrupted student recruitment and uncertain government funding, more and more institutions are leveraging international partnerships as a means of driving their global growth. While COVID-19 and other geopolitical challenges have often disrupted collaborations, they have also provided opportunities for new and impactful recruitment, exchange, and research partnerships for institutions looking outwardly.

EAB experts have conducted interviews with higher education leaders around the globe about partnership challenges and opportunities, and recently convened a series of working groups for participants to share their experiences. Regardless of the state of your international partnership portfolio now, these takeaways will help you and other leaders at your institution better explore new international opportunities and expand existing transnational collaborations. Read the takeaways and dive into the next steps below.

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Review the key takeaways

1. COVID-19 has had a mixed impact on international collaborations

The coronavirus pandemic has served as both a disruptive and creative force for international partnerships. More than three-quarters of participants indicated that their outlook on international collaborations was mixed due to COVID-19. Many leaders noted that while travel restrictions had disrupted student recruitment programs and cancelled research conferences, there was growing optimism on their campuses that virtual communication tools (such as Zoom, Teams, or Skype) would allow collaborators to meet more frequent while reducing their environmental and logistical footprint.

2. Institutions from different global regions have divergent concerns about barriers to partnership success

While leaders had seen varied levels of investment in partnerships at their institutions, a general divergence of experience emerged between those within and outside the United States

3. Lack of institution-wide international strategy significantly hinders partnerships

Participants raised concerns about internal disconnects between their units responsible for international recruitment, study abroad, and research, leading to a lack of overall strategy for internationalization and global engagement. Devising a structured global partnership portfolio helps increase the longevity and productivity of individual partnerships, while allowing for better synergies and internal alignment between internationally-focused teams.

4. Leaders often overlook activities that can have an outsized impact on international partnership development

• Compile a database of existing partnerships, collaborations, and faculty networks to uncover overlap and identify potential gaps or opportunities for deeper engagement.
• Align international partnership success with other institutional and unit goals, measuring both financial and non-financial metrics and observations.
• Centralize forms, trainings, and guidance on international collaborations to encourage faculty and deans to make smarter decisions for all their 1-to-1 partnerships.