Opening the Going Global 2025 conference in London Scott McDonald, the British Council's Chief Executive, welcomed 450 education leaders from over 50 countries saying their knowledge and experience would help write the next chapter of tertiary education.
Launching the British Council's new Transnational Education Strategy 2025–27, Scott McDonald said study abroad is important but it should not be the only option for young people seeking the skills to change their communities. Using the updated strategy, the British Council will be working collaboratively around the world to improve insight, promote the UK's reputation for quality, broker connections and showcase the transformative power of this type of education. (Opening address)
UK Skills Minister, The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, thanked the British Council for its input into the Government's new international education strategy to be announced later this year, which will promote the best of UK education overseas. She explained how the Government's recent White Paper sets out reforms to bring skills, education and employment closer together, support lifelong learning and improve access to higher education. (Opening address)
The first day’s sessions saw university and college leaders urged to rethink their approach to participating in the global education market and the way they engage with policymakers, international providers, and students in response to growing political, social, and financial challenges. Actions they were encouraged to consider included governance reform, more effective lobbying, greater focus on rapidly evolving transnational education (TNE), and responding positively to emerging knowledge security concerns and the challenges faced by academics and students in countries facing conflict.
At a packed Going Global welcome reception, the winners of the inaugural Going Global Partnerships Awards were announced. They included a partnership between the UK and Nigeria recognised for the co-development of a new hub in Nigeria to equip students with the knowledge and skills to become job creators; a UK and Pakistan collaboration empowering female students in Pakistan to gain STEM skills and enhance their employability; a partnership between the UK and Egypt recognised for boosting the hybrid vehicle technology curriculum for Egyptian students; a collaborative research partnership between the UK and China in which researchers have developed a scalable, one-step solution for removing pollutants from water sources; and a partnership between the UK and Nepal, helping to address green skills gaps, by embedding a systemic approach to stronger public-private partnerships. Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE, Deputy Chief Executive of the British Council, said: “These awards recognise outstanding examples of international partnerships, initiatives that demonstrate that working together can achieve real and lasting impact for students, researchers and communities around the world.”
Key points arising from sessions
Going Global 2025 delegates were coming together against a background of climate degradation, geopolitical tensions, economic pressures, social polarisation and multiple ongoing conflicts, said Scott McDonald. The themes of the conference - Resilience, Values and Innovation - were about surviving and thriving in a volatile world and a reflection of the tough reality facing institutions, governments and policy makers in education everywhere. (Opening address)
Building on frameworks and guidance at the 2023 Going Global conference in Edinburgh, the British Council's new Transnational Education Strategy 2025–27 will be working to grow and diversify a dynamic and flexible new model of TNE to expand access, support innovation and align with partner country development goals, said Scott McDonald. (Opening address)
Storm clouds are gathering over universities in the United States and institutions in other countries need to be on their guard because of the reliance on government funding which can be removed from them, warned Professor Michael Ignatieff, an academic at the Central European University in Austria. (Opening plenary)
The increasing cost of higher education and weakening domestic popular political support was making it easier for populist politicians to portray higher education as a luxury that the taxpayer has to pay for. Higher education has to remake its case to the electorate, said Professor Michael Ignatieff. (Opening plenary)
To lessen the dependence of universities on public funding, students and their families could be asked pay more towards the benefit they receive and free, independent universities could boost their incomes by entering into more corporate partnerships, setting clear parameters, suggested Professor Michael Ignatieff. (Opening plenary)
Talk economic sense to your government if you want to show the importance of higher education because no economic growth will happen without ideas produced by universities, advised Professor Stella Christie, Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Indonesia. (Opening plenary)
In a special session introduced by H.E. Professor Dr Ayman Ashour, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the British Council launched its report Scaling Digital Higher Education in Egypt: Opportunities for Digital Transnational Education Partnerships. The report, which builds on the British Council’s ongoing work on TNE in Egypt, calls for a national digital higher education strategy, supported by clear guidelines for international partners on the local context, drivers, and barriers to scale-up. Other recommendations include ensuring accessible student support systems for online and blended learning.
Forecasts for future growth in international education mobility are optimistic, ranging from a rise to 7.3 million international students to 10 million. But there are shifts in the market that indicate new centres of growth in future, including African countries, as well as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and South Korea, Janet Ilieva, founder of Education Insight, told delegates. (How a volatile world reshaped global mobility.)
According to the Chinese Ministry of Education, growth in transnational education within China means that some 99 per cent of Chinese tertiary education students may never choose to set foot abroad or will choose different forms of international education, said Leina Shi, Director of Education for the British Council, China. TNE is being accelerated in China through relaxed enrolment controls, clearer guidance in applications, streamlined approvals, defined decision timelines, and plans to establish a digital partner matching platform, she said. To engage better with the Chinese market, university leaders need to respond quickly and confidently to emerging opportunities, consider the changing needs of the youngest generation of students, and address any imbalances in two-way mobility, she added. (How a volatile world re-shaped global mobility)
Viet Nam is planning to contribute to a shift towards multi-polarity in global higher education by focusing more on attracting international students, in a new policy that aims to establish at least two international branch campuses in the country, and partner with universities in the top 500 of global rankings to deliver a fifth of its TNE programmes, said Dr Minh Quach Thi Ngoc, Deputy Head Division of Partnerships and Investment, International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Education and Training, Viet Nam. (How a volatile world reshaped global mobility)
The 'big four' international education recruiting countries, the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia, are in danger of throwing away their advantages in the market when policy in this area is not owned by a single government department, leaving international education subject to a “tug of war” between competing interests, warned Rt Hon Lord Johnson of Marylebone, Executive Chairman of FutureLearn UK. (How a volatile world reshaped global mobility)
How do universities continue to offer education and research during times of conflict, and what role can they play during and after war? A panel brought together academics and higher education leaders with direct experience of conflict, including representatives from Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine. (Higher education during conflict: what role for universities during and after times of war?)
Delegates were addressed via video by Dr Ahmed Kamal Junina, Assistant Professor of Applied Linguistics and Head of the English Department at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. Dr Junina discussed the challenges of delivering virtual learning in the midst of the conflict. Due to “unstable or unreliable” internet access for both educators and learners, universities have to share materials using compressed PDF files, low-bandwidth platforms, and voice messages. He said it was also vital for teachers to show “empathy and understanding” when it comes to assessments, as students were often facing difficult and tragic circumstances. (Higher education during conflict: what role for universities during and after times of war?)
Dr Serhii Babak, Chairman of the Committee on Education, Science and Innovations in the Parliament of Ukraine, said the initial aim when conflict broke out was to “rescue the system, or at least part of it”. Many universities were relocated within the first few weeks. He credited the country’s “strong education system…and strong people” for rising to the challenge. He added that Ukraine is also now in the process of transforming its educational system to ensure the highest quality as it bids to accede to the European Union. (Higher education during conflict: what role for universities during and after times of war?)
Dr Mykola Trofymenko, Deputy Minister of Education and Science in Ukraine, admitted there “were no manuals on how to evacuate, how to restart, and what to do”. However, he stressed that the focus was on “reinforcing” and “creating strong universities” that could become “places of resilience” for communities. He credited a number of programmes that were assisting with this, including a partnership with the British Council to train academic managers. (Higher education during conflict: what role for universities during and after times of war?)
Bassem Abudagga, Business Lecturer and Researcher at York St John University and Al-Azhar University in Gaza, highlighted the importance of helping institutions to recover, rather than simply creating new ones. He also noted that, while often well-intentioned, offers of help that re-located Palestinian educators elsewhere ran the risk of further weakening its higher education system. He argued that any decisions made about Palestine should be made with Palestinian voices at the table, stating: “Nothing about us, without us”. (Higher education during conflict: what role for universities during and after times of war?)
Matt Foster, CEO of the Council for At-Risk Academics (Cara), echoed the need for institutions to listen to those being affected when providing assistance. He said this assistance could take many different forms, including access to resources, remote fellowships, and collaborative research that is “genuinely equitable”. He added that there was also a need for the industry to support academics facing conflict with the same visibility as it does students. (Higher education during conflict: what role for universities during and after times of war?)
Professor Kieron Flanagan, from the University of Manchester, has recently completed a study for the UK Government which found countries in Europe are grappling with the tension between openness and security. Countries that seem to be the most advanced in their approach understand that they must avoid putting too many restrictions on collaboration and mobility, while at the same time thinking about the risks of knowledge leakage and espionage. They are also the countries where there has been bottom-up engagement from the research community with policy makers in science and education ministries, but also with other parts of government, including defence and intelligence. (Knowledge security in times of rising geopolitical tensions: How will we reconcile national and international interests, science diplomacy, and science for security?)
DAAD Germany has produced a checklist of 17 questions to enable universities and researchers to self-assess their knowledge security efficacy. According to Benedikt Brisch, from DAAD Germany’s Centre for International Academic Collaborations, it is up to the academic community to make decisions about knowledge security in their international collaborations. (Knowledge security in times of rising geopolitical tensions: How will we reconcile national and international interests, science diplomacy, and science for security?)
Researchers’ lack of confidence on research security is born from a lack of knowledge and connections. Experts and organisations working in knowledge security need to involve and empower researchers at every step. Anne Wiegmann, from Helmholtz Research Centre Jülich, Germany, said that in her institute’s work with researchers, as well as looking for red flags - such as military or surveillance links in collaborative projects - there is exploration of the potential and the benefits, with teams carrying out risk analysis. (Knowledge security in times of rising geopolitical tensions: How will we reconcile national and international interests, science diplomacy, and science for security?)
