12 April 2020  Issue No: 593

International higher education is at a crossroads. As currently provided across the world, it can only increase its impact to a limited extent. It needs to focus more on what it can do to further social and societal excellence through ‘internationalisation at home’.

The president of the European Research Council or ERC, Mauro Ferrari, has resigned after failing to win support for a special programme of research aimed at combating the COVID-19 virus but which contravened the ERC’s role in funding independent ‘bottom-up’ research.

Early surveys of the impact of COVID-19 on institutions in the United States and Europe show how concerns are changing as universities are thinking more about the longer-term effects of the virus on higher education, particularly student recruitment for the next academic year.

To fulfil the aims of the European Green Deal and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals we need academics from many disciplines who work collaboratively together in new, cross-disciplinary ways. Empowering and inspiring the Greta Thunberg generation of students may be our greatest legacy.

The flow of knowledge both ways across Denmark’s borders is surprisingly poor compared to comparable countries, according to a new analysis by the Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy or DFiR, which uses eight indicators to investigate how Danish research and innovation are interacting with the world.

Universities UK is running a series of three webinars as part of the International Higher Education Forum, exploring the recruitment challenges facing higher education, managing risk in transnational education operations, and whether it is possible to develop a green international education strategy.