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Can I first say what an enormous pleasure it is to be able to speak to you today. And
thank you very much indeed for the invitation. It is a very very important relationship for
us in the British Council. •
The British Council, UUK and the wider UK Higher Education sector have built a robust
partnership over the last 50 years. It is based not on a single agenda but on a wide
range of mutually supportive objectives which enable us to deliver more than we could do
alone. •
The importance of Higher Education in both the domestic and global context has grown
immensely. The sector has made a significant contribution to our country’s economy and
will be even more important in its contribution to its re-balancing.
• Education exports are undoubtedly a real growth
opportunity for the UK, international HE is already worth almost £10bn to the economy,
with the potential to contribute even more. But we also need to recognise the broader
aims of education. Its contribution to the development of a skilled work force, the creative
as well as economic value of research; its ability to change lives.
• Certainly internationally British education
is valued as much for its contribution to scholarly enquiry, values and ethics as it
is to prosperity -- whether for individuals, national growth, international stability or
the global economy. •
So what is this partnership I opened with; it’s after all the language we all use all
the time. And if it matters to us; does it and should it matter to you?
• The British Council is the UK’s cultural
relations organisation. We contribute to the UK’s long term prosperity by creating opportunities
for people in the UK and overseas through the Arts, English language and, of course,
Education. And by connecting people worldwide, we build long term relationships of trust
between them. •
It is for this reason we are concerned with higher education in all its dimensions. Because
we know that one of if not the most effective builder of long term trust is through studying
overseas, working with academics internationally, building institution to institution links
and sharing the UK’s expertise. •
The British Council, through our international workforce and presence in over 100 countries,
is able to provide a deep understanding of the global Higher Education landscape to act
as an interlocutor and to open doors to support universities’ international growth and ambitions.
• The last few months have been an extraordinary
moment for the UK not just with the Olympics and Paralympics but also the Jubilee. From
right around the world our offices report a level of interest in and respect for what
has been achieved here unparalleled in our experience.
• Dented perhaps a little by the situation at
London Met and the implications it has for the whole sector, and for UK HE’s
excellent reputation overseas. But even here ( and it is very early days) the concern shown
by institutions, the Higher Education Funding Council, NUS, UUK and the British Council
for the welfare of students has the potential, and I will say no more that that, to mitigate
the worst reputational damage. •
Even with all the negative publicity over LMU and visas there is a continuing and rising
level of interest in UK HE and the opportunity to build on this.
• In some senses the obstacle is often our collective
capacity to meet the expectations from overseas for significant connections with UK/HE. I
would like to start by sharing some of our recent research and thinking at the British
Council. 2. The scale of opportunities for UK HE
Trust Pays – key findings •
Earlier this year, we launched a report titled Trust Pays.
• The research demonstrates that cultural relations
does indeed build trust •
The most powerful trust building activities include:
o learning English
o building friendships with people from the
UK and especially o
gaining direct experience of the UK through studying at UK universities, exchanges, institutional
linking or personal visits •
Where cultural relations activities had taken place, there was an increase in trust in all
10 countries. In Pakistan there was 26% more people who trusted the UK and to a slightly
lesser extent, the UK government. •
The research also shows that increased trust is associated with a significantly increased
interest in doing business with the UK, visiting the UK and studying in the UK. Those who trusted
the UK were up to 29% more likely to want to work with people and organisations from
the UK. •
The research therefore showed that international activities of UK Higher Education are good
for universities, good for tourism, good for the economy and good for the UK’s overall
international reputation. The Shape of things to comes – changing
higher education landscape, challenges and future direction – launched at Going Global
2012 in March Set the scene:
• As everyone here is aware, International Higher
Education has grown both in importance and complexity in the last decade. Economic success
is increasingly based on the effective use of knowledge, skills and innovative research.
• New actors, institutions and technologies
are rapidly changing the dynamics globally: o
Students and academics are more mobile o
There are growing numbers of regional education hubs, cities and gateways
o More organisations are concerning themselves
with the opportunities posed by the internationalisation of higher education.
o And countries around the world are rapidly
developing their Higher Education sectors – becoming competitors or potential partners
for the UK UK HE is already world-class:
• There are already some great stories to tell
around international HE partnerships – in fact, many of the institutions represented
here today are involved in international programmes. o
The University of Birmingham and the Aga Khan University in Pakistan are collaborating on
the epidemiology of cytomegalovirus infection, which poses a significant danger to newborn
babies. o
In India, The University of Warwick is leading on a project to support collaborations with
IIT Bhubaneswar, Kharagpur, and Guwahati along with Tata Steel in India and Europe, to enable
the rapid and effective introduction of new steel for new applications.
• Internationally UK HE is respected as never
before through a combination of quality institutions, ground-breaking research and the ability to
attract international students. •
While I think we are all aware of the weaknesses of academic ranking lists, they do have significant
influence on the attitudes of administrations, governments and students around the world.
• It is important, therefore, that the UK’s
institutions are seen to do well. And we do. •
The Shanghai Jiao Tong University Ranking for 2012 shows the UK’s strength:
o It is a testament to the quality of our institutions
that the UK has 2 in the top 20 and 9 in the top 100.
• UK universities perform even stronger in the
QS World University ranking, released earlier this week with 4 British Universities in the
top 6, 8 universities in the top 50 and 18 in the top 100.
• On the podium of the University Olympics – we
pick up plenty of gold medals! •
Success breeds emulators and there are many countries seeking to copy our approach. If
we are to maintain our position in the medals table of Higher Education, we need to ensure
that we are consistently at the forefront of the changes taking place.
• China and India have well developed ambitions
to become important players in international HE, largely through attracting inward student
flows but also through joint research. Malaysia and Singapore both seek to be regional education
hubs. Closer to here, France and Germany are seeking increased access to student flows
through the delivery of English language medium study. Germany is also looking for increased
outward mobility which will have an impact on its global reputation. Our more traditional
rival, the USA, continues to launch a number of activities especially aimed at East Asia.
The field is crowded and getting more crowded. Our findings:
In June, the British Council launched a new piece of research. The Shape of things to
come. This examined four key trends in international higher education up to 2020:
1. international student flows in the next decade
2. the emergence of new models of global partnerships
3. patterns in research output
4. and commercial research activities
1. We found that, assuming a continuation of
current policies: o
There will be significant changes in student flows, which will re-shape the global higher
education landscape. o
By 2020, four countries – China, India, US and Brazil – are forecast to account
for more than half of the world’s tertiary enrolments.
o However, there will be a significant slow
down in the growth of international student flows.
o UK universities cannot expect ongoing levels
of growth in international student numbers, nor should they expect to find them in the
same countries of origin. o
Many of those students will still be coming from China and India; however countries like
Nigeria, Malaysia and Turkey are likely to see the largest outbound students by 2020.
o China’s contribution to future growth is
forecast to be much more limited. This is both due to both slower growth in tertiary
enrolments, as well as the long-term effects of the one child policy.
2. We also found that the future of Higher Education
will increasingly be in new forms of internationalisation – including more partnership-driven transnational
education. o
Trans-National Education and collaborative research partnerships are expected to continue
their growth o
TNE programmes will continue to be developed in established host country markets such as
Malaysia and Singapore, while newer education hubs will develop in the Middle East and Central
Asia. o
More importantly, there will be a definite shift towards broadly based research collaborations,
at the institutional level and involving tripartite partnerships with government and the private
sector. o
For example, through the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI) we have already
invested in a total of 182 UK-India partnerships since 2006, which include collaborative groupings
among academic researchers. 3.
In terms of Research output, our report shows that:
o International collaboration can, not only
improve the quality of research, but also increase citation and the impact of articles,
contributing to a reputation for research excellence.
o In turn this can lead to more international
attention, attracting the best students and researchers, and more funding
o Global research collaboration is currently
dominated by a few major players, including the US and China.
o However, there is also good reason to collaborate
with other smaller countries. o
Switzerland and Belgium, for example, have higher collaboration rates than China.
o Collaborating with countries generating the
highest average citation rate can also help maintain the impact of UK research
o At the British Council we are hoping to work
more closely with UUK and RCUK, to find more ways of enhancing the international impact
of the UK’s research output o
We have at least eight universities with an average research citation impact of more than
80% above the global average. So the UK is already a desirable partner, but we can certainly
do more. 4.
We also looked into opportunities in Commercial research activity:
• What our research suggests, is that there
are significant gains from a focus on: o
Partnering with multinational companies in large countries
o Niche opportunities in research and technology-intensive
countries o
Working with companies or countries leading on internationally-filed patent applications
o R&D with SMEs focussing on high-value technology
o Collaborating with the private sector in countries
with the highest rates of commercial joint-working •
Around the world, the emerging economies are increasingly aware of these benefits and we
see a rising level of expectation that the UK HE sector can respond. From the Science
Without Borders initiative in Brazil, UKIERI in India and numerous links with China, we
have a good understanding of the big country challenge. But there are very significant
opportunities from some of the less known markets: Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam,
Turkey… all looking for significant contacts with the UK. And niche players like Kurdistan,
with the resource to fund thousands of studentships a year but also intending to develop its own
capacity. 3. A future-proof approach: system to system
Long-term thinking •
The economic benefits of international Higher Education are not just the immediate gains
through increased enrolments, but the long-term benefits of greater investment in Science
and Technology through our strong research base.
• The challenge is how to respond.
Government’s approach •
David Willetts has recently set out a powerful vision for a ‘System to System’ approach
to internationalising Higher Education. •
We know that to keep our competitive edge, UK Higher Education needs to be at the forefront
of international collaboration. •
But does a system to system approach advance this? Does it promote a deeper engagement
between the UK sector and Higher Education sectors in key markets? If so then a system
to system approach is precisely what we need. •
This is a significant move in the right direction, but that long-term success requires an even
broader approach. Our interpretation of system to system
• We believe a system to system approach will
be most effective when it is based upon: o
A deep and sustained engagement between the UK and Higher Education sectors of other countries
o When it is based on mutual benefit and reciprocal
relationships – creating a more connected Higher Education network right through from
institutions to service providers o
When it leads to collaborating with other countries in support of their HE ambitions,
and not just for the purpose of selling our Higher Education offer to them. In the long
run this will deliver more economic value to the UK.
o We also believe that a successful approach
will build upon rather than change existing relationships between the UK Higher Education
Institutions and Higher Education institutions around the world.
o The key value overseas partners see in UK
HE of scholarship, critical thought and academic freedom must remain at the heart, and through
global collaboration be at the heart of international Higher Education.
• We already have some examples of a system
to system model in action: o
UKIERI is a multi-stakeholder programme that has strengthened the educational relations
between the UK and India, and has covered all segments of
the education sector o
It aimed to create a 'step change' in educational relations by strengthening institutional collaboration
and promoting stronger links, not only to industry but to other related communities
as well. o
The initiative supports staff and student exchanges, promoting new links between Higher
Education institutions and research centres of excellence and collaborative delivery.
o To date we have helped to provide 393 British
students with an opportunity to visit India under the Study India Programme;
o Facilitated work placements to 106 Indian
graduates o
Supported successful partnering and mentoring relationships between the UK and Indian ministries,
institutions and sectoral experts o
Worked with key stakeholders and policymakers to address issues of Quality Assurance, Leadership,
sector skill development, to name a few. o
It is this broad reach into all parts of the Higher Education sectors in both countries
which makes UKIERI a success. o
But above all, it is the mutuality and ongoing policy dialogue between the two countries
in UKIERI, which will ensure that the programme delivers sustainable long-term growth and
development for Higher Education in both the UK and India.
o One result has been the rapid growth in India
student flows to the UK. Though sustaining this has proved difficult.
o Our work in Mexico and Colombia is also increasingly
based on a system to system approach o
Both countries are ripe for system to system: ??
With growing economies and young urban populations ??
We hope to significantly increase the UK’s share in Colombia and Mexico’s education
system particularly, by working with UUK and IU to achieve a success similar to UKIERI,
by facilitating a system to system approach. •
To achieve this coherent international agenda, we need to work more closely with one another,
in partnership with private companies, and grow the sector by expanding into new market
economies. •
To achieve this we don’t require new organisations or institutions but new strategic partnerships
• Institutions in other countries are similarly
trying to engage in international Higher Education, although by taking very different approaches.
• We need to be aware of their plans to maintain
our position near the top of global Higher Education.
• While individual universities in the USA have
very developed international agendas, they do not necessarily have a coherent national
approach to the global Higher Education market. The
US government has launched a number of international initiatives.
• Germany’s government, on the other hand,
has invested heavily in DAAD. o
Their overall budget stood at 384 million Euros in 2010 – more than double the total
government grant to the British Council for all areas of our work.
o The UK is already a much larger host country
for international students than Germany o
We also have three times as many institutions in the global top 100 than Germany
o Not to mention a greater research output and
higher citations o
So it would seem that our complimentary framework of institutions is more efficient than Germany’s
model. •
In many ways, we have an enviable set of institutions able to make the most of the overseas new
opportunities. •
These include of course UUK and IUHE
RCUK The academies, including BA, RS RSE
UKTI including its sector groups BIS
And of course the British Council •
But we also recognise the need to bring greater coordination to our endeavours. To use a football
analogy, the team has •
It is for this reason that I welcome a number of important initiatives:
1. The creation of the International Education
Partnership Unit in BIS with representation from UUK, BC and UKTI
2. Agreement with RCUK for close regular contact
with the BC 3.
We will shortly be issuing a joint statement with UKTI which sets out more clearly the
services and support available in-country from both our networks – India already is
an excellent example of the kind of 1-stop shop we need.
• Most importantly, we now have an agreed MoU
which will be signed in the next few days between the British Council and UUK and IUHE,
which formalises our partnership and which will build on the unrivalled £720m network
of physical presence, connections, contacts and programmes overseas of the British Council,
and the unrivalled knowledge and access to the UK HE sector of UUK.
• This initiative will greatly strengthen our
collective international voice, and I welcome this.
• We believe that through these initiatives
we will be able to offer better value than a single purpose organisation could achieve.
• Furthermore, the UK’s model will not lock
universities into a rigid bureaucratic framework - allowing for the flexibility and creativity
required in today’s fast moving market •
And this is how UK Higher Education institutions will keep going from strength to strength:
by focussing on the international agenda, pooling resources and sharing intellectual
capital. 1.
Conclusion: build a stronger coalition •
So the real message today is: we need to think globally!
• These global ambitions are not just for the
richest or oldest institutions, there are critical opportunities for Higher Education
internationalising right across the sector. •
The UK is already a world leader and we have a unique set of institutions and competencies
that we must continue to develop and use – and we should play to our strengths.
• We need to pool our resources, share our knowledge
and networks in order to move towards a higher education that is not only world class, but
truly open and truly global.