1 Challenges in Establishing International Research Partnerships Critical assessment on the base of experiences in Flanders Prof. dr. Martin Valcke

Background Ghent University: Flemish community (Belgium) students Head Department of Educational Studies Research: Innovation of Higher Education International collaboration developing countries; Cambodia, China, Ecuador, Mozambique, Peru, South-Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe Strong developmental perspective

Background Types of higher education collaboration being scrutinized –Belgian Technical Cooperation: individual researcher ion local organisation –Bilateral Cooperation Agreement between Universities PhD research project Bilateral research project –VLIR IUS: multiple universities in Flanders work together with a university in a developing country

Analysis focus What are the conditions to establish international academic partnerships? Opportunities/challenges for sustainable academic partnerships? Institutional benefits from partnerships? 4

Way of looking at higher education institute: holistic perspective needed: systemic view

Macrolevel Mesolevel Microlevel Multiple actors Policy based

What are the conditions to establish international academic partnerships? 7

Conditions Dimensions –Time dimension –Aggregation level dimension (micro-, meso-, macro-level) –Budget dimension –Planning dimension –Objectives dimension –Activities dimension

Conditions: Time dimension Long term collaboration perspective –E.g., VLIR IUS: 2 years start up + 2 x 5 years of collaboration + 2 years of phase out –Versus 4 year PhD time line (sandwich system) Build on existing relationships: earlier projects, collaboration, history in relationship

Conditions: Aggregation level dimension Involve university level (macro), faculties/central units (meso), and work floor level (micro) Build on or develop strategic plan Commitment of all levels Coordinator, project leaders, participating staff of BOTH institutions

Conditions: Budget dimension Large budget: e.g., VLIR IUC= € Broad spectrum of costs: personnel, infrastructure, travel & subsistence, Relationship between timing & budget time x € Yr1 yr 2 yr3 yr4 yr5 yr6 yr7 yr8 yr9 yr10 yr11

Conditions: planning methodology Systematic planning approach of project (e.g., logical framework) Start with local problem tree analysis Goals, activities, results, deliverables, risks analysis Evaluation checks (yearly, 5 yearly) External quality control Plan sustainability in view of “after”

Conditions: objectives dimension Both academic and society level Academic: –Organisational, management (e.g., policy development, library, ICT, Academic English, …) quality assurance, …° –Teaching & Learning (strategies, evaluation,...) –Research Society: impact on local communities (e.g. Aquaculture research: impact on farmers)

Conditions: activities dimension Research based (PhD local staff) Training (training scholarship, Ma) Local workshop Consultancy Site visits Info exchange IMPACT

Conditions: activities dimension IMPACT Invest in real capacity building In local context where expertise, technique, feature is to be implemented Setting up comprehensive research most promising (e.g., PhD)

Opportunities/challenges sustainable partnerships? Challenges: –Find the same level partner (research level …) (belief in developing potential) –Brain drain; e.g., China: after obtaining foreign PhD …… mobility staff –Willingness partners to be involved: incentive system counterproductive (PhD/ISI) –To find partners that focus on shared objectives –Continuous contact (F2F, VC, audio, …)

Opportunities/challenges sustainable partnerships? Opportunities: –Local test bed, experimental conditions e.g., aquaculture, larger samples, unbiased samples, –Staff & student exchange e.g., masters level students

Institutional benefits ~partnerships? Educational –International masters (Erasmus Mundus); e.g., fisheries, aquaculture –Student exchange (masters ~ thesis, internship) Research –Access to local and international funding e.g., policy UGent: bilateral agreements gives access to special collaborative research funds

Institutional benefits ~partnerships? Educational –International masters (Erasmus Mundus); e.g., fisheries, aquaculture –Student exchange Research –Access to local and international funding Staff development –Mobility and exchange

20 Challenges in establishing international research partnerships: Critical assessment of experiences in Flanders Prof. dr. Martin Valcke