Editor's pick
RESPONSIBLE
INTERNATIONALISATION
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2026 Summer Forum | Responsible Internationalisation
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By Courtney HartzellWhere we are and where we’re going, at national and EU level.
By Tommy ShihCreating a coherent approach to concerns and opportunities.
By Maria Angelica Nivia Latorre & Laura Juliana Mendoza RomeroSecurity should be combined with inclusive governance, transparency and cooperation.
By Eunjung RiaukaHow to reframe responsibility as a design strategy.
By María Alejandra Maldonado Adrian & Sara Betina Sousa FerreiraPutting preparation, purpose and responsibility at the centre of mobility policies.
By Rosalyn EderRedefining social responsibility can help broaden our outlook.
By Irina Sikorska & Olena KoziievskaWar has made responsible internationalisation crucial in Ukraine.
By Vidya Yeravdekar, Elizabeth Colucci, Olusola Oyewole & Mervin BakkerTriangular cooperation and the crucial role of networks and associations.
By Douglas ProctorQuantitative KPIs may no longer be fit for purpose.
By Cecilia AlbèUnderstanding responsible internationalisation in an era of geopolitical tension and growing inequality.
The issue in front of you unpacks one of the current buzzwords in international education – responsible internationalisation – and explores what it means to different stakeholders across regions.
Responsible internationalisation can be understood as the pursuit of international collaboration in ways that consider integrity, ethics, academic freedom, reciprocity and attentiveness to geopolitical security dynamics. After reading this issue you may form your own, perhaps broader, understanding that resonates with you and your context.
There is little doubt that security concerns in certain areas are legitimate and deserve careful attention. Yet the growing tendency to extend these concerns across the entire academic landscape raises an important question: Should fears surrounding a limited number of fields justify restrictions on openness, trust and academic freedom? Higher education institutions have long thrived precisely because academic collaboration is rooted not in political alignment, but in shared intellectual curiosity. Scholars co-operate across borders to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions and advance knowledge as a shared public good – often independently of the governments under which they live. To conflate academic partnerships with political loyalties risks undermining one of the very foundations of higher education.
The challenge facing institutions today is therefore not whether security matters – it clearly does – but how to address genuine risks without eroding the openness and international collaboration that have always been central to academic and scientific progress. This issue features articles that will inspire you with effective practices, perspectives and policies towards this goal.
The first article will be of interest to those seeking clarity on responsible internationalisation in the European context. Courtney Hartzell provides an informative overview of developments in European policy frameworks, national approaches and tools such as the KIWi Compass, developed by DAAD, which supports institutions in assessing the risks and benefits of cooperation.
If you need to take a step back to understand the broader landscape, delve into An agenda for responsible internationalisation by Tommy Shih, which translates the concept to the institutional level. Leaders aiming to balance security and inclusion may consider adopting transparent governance and participatory communication practices. Higher education leadership wishing to go a step further will find inspiration in the contribution by Maria Angelica Nivia Latorre and Laura Juliana Mendoza Romero.
For practitioners, the mobility-focused articles in the next section offer insights into how to enact student mobility responsibly. Eunjung Riauka draws on four guiding pillars of responsible internationalisation, while the jointly written article by María Alejandra Maldonado Adrian and Sara Betina Sousa Ferreira examines “responsible mobilities” within their specific project context.
Rosalyn Eder shifts the reader's perspective towards reflexive ethical internationalisation. From Ukraine, Irina Sikorska and Olena Koziievska explore how responsible internationalisation can support a balance between global engagement and local responsibility.
Following, global (South-South-North ) partnerships are the focus of Vidya Rajiv Yeravdekar, Elizabeth Colucci, Olusola Oyewole and Mervin Bakker, who conceptualise responsible internationalisation as a paradigm shift from transactional global engagement to transformative global cooperation, fostering more equitable knowledge exchange.
In an opinion piece, Douglas Proctor takes readers on a more philosophical journey, exploring the values underlying internationalisation and how shared understandings can create shared responsibilities.
The interview with Jamil Salmi, a Moroccan higher education policy expert, engages the readers with challenges such as regionalism, inequity and financing – and, I promise, ends the issue on a positive and hopeful note.
Eva Janebová, Editor
publications@eaie.org
Policy and Project Coordinator, Academic Cooperation Association
Assistant Vice-President, Global Engagement & Partnerships, York University
Director of Higher Education Policy and Programs, OBREAL Global
Director of International Learning and Safety Abroad, Western University
Director of the Center for International Education, Mariupol State University
International-Incoming Mobilities Officer, CESI Graduate School of Engineering
Director of International Relations and Cooperation, Universidad Católica San Pablo
Erasmus+ program coordinator International, École Polytechnique
Executive Director, European Association for International Education
Head of the Secretariat of the Committee for Education, Science and Innovations, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Secretary-General, Association of African Universities
Head of International Office, Paracelsus Medical Private University
Liaison and International Initiatives Coordinator, Universidad Católica San Pablo
Director, Forum for Responsible Internationalisation and Research Security
Pro Chancellor, Symbiosis International University
Published by European Association for International EducationPO Box 11189, 1001 GD Amsterdam, the NetherlandsE-mail: info@eaie.org, publications@eaie.orgwww.eaie.org
Editor: Eva JanebováPublications Committee: Eva Janebová (Chair), Ragnhild Solvi Berg, Queenie Lam, Arnim Heinemann, Sonja Knutson
Director, Knowledge Development and Research: Laura E. RumbleyHead of Marketing and Communications: Léa BasinKnowledge Development Coordinator: Cecilia AlbèDesigners: Nhu Nguyen, Maeghan Dunn, Julia Gerrits
Copyright © 2026 by the EAIE All rights reserved. Extracts from Forum may be reproduced with permission of the EAIE. Unless stated otherwise, opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the position of the EAIE.ISSN 1389-0808
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