Key Findings: International Higher Education Forum 2023
Read KEVRI Business Development Manager Rob's reflections of the recent International Higher Education Forum by Universities UK.
KEVRI Business Development Manager Robert Harries shares his key findings from the recent International Higher Education Forum...
Attending the International Higher Education Forum was a great chance to hear some of the best speakers on university finances, student recruitment and the research landscape in the UK.
Coming from a Knowledge Exchange perspective, I took away many great insights, but here are a few of my thoughts about how KE can be a part of what was discussed.
International collaboration is key
With universities knowing the need for internationalisation at home and abroad within the student population and in academia, there could be space to include KE thinking in this mixture as an approach to delivering internationalisation successfully.
Given that employability is a high factor in informing students to select a university to study abroad, there is space for more partnerships. Knowledge Exchange is part of this process and could be vital in achieving this for universities.
Just as the Director of SOAS University of London Adam Habib implied during the Financial Sustainability - Our Biggest Challenge? session, a lot of learning opportunities lie outside of the university.
The global problems we face will require local knowledge, learning and partnerships. KE could be part of that joined-up approach. We could link more student learning with business partnerships and with graduate outcomes.
Technology transformation in higher education
Like Chief Executive and Board Director of Universities Australia Catriona Jackson mentioned during the session, tech disruptors are not a threat.
'Change is coming. We should embrace it, looking at our strengths right now but also how we are going to adapt. Don't be afraid of it - it's an opportunity.'
— Universities UK International (@UUKIntl) February 28, 2023
- @catrionajackso1 #IHEF2023
Virtual instruction in classrooms took off during covid, and while everyone welcomes a return to campus, there is much infrastructure left from virtual instruction to encourage cross-national classroom learning.
This would help internationalise both universities and the student learning experience, the more this occurs the more potential KE initiatives could flourish.
The Windsor Framework
The timing of the session Global Impact Through Research And Innovation Collaboration was apt shortly after the UK and EU announcement of The Windsor Framework, in which the EU President mentioned Horizon Europe in her speech.
As the Director of International Research and Innovation at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Adam Jackson mentioned, the direction of travel is good and the government is eager to prioritise science and research in the future.
The clarity for universities on the future of funding will surely come, but this is good news for the sector.
Overall, I found the IHEF to be an exciting and essential forum for anyone working in Higher Education, and I look forward to the next one!
