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Challenges in Establishing International Research Partnerships

Critical assessment on the base of experiences in Flanders

Prof. dr. Martin Valckehttp://allserv.ugent.be/~mvalcke/CV/CVMVA.htm

Background• Ghent University: Flemish community (Belgium)• 35.000 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 developmentalperspective

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?

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

Macrolevel

Mesolevel

Microlevel

Multiple actors

Multiple actors

Policy based

Policy based

Policy based

What are the conditions to establish international academic

partnerships?

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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= 7.000.000 €

• 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

Conditions: activities dimension

• Invest in real capacity building

• In local context where expertise, technique, feature is to be implemented

• Setting up comprehensiveresearch 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 exchangee.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

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Challenges in establishing international research partnerships:

Critical assessment of experiences in Flanders

Prof. dr. Martin Valckehttp://allserv.ugent.be/~mvalcke/CV/CVMVA.htm