International cooperation in higher education has entered a new era of uncertainty. A world facing crises upon crises has become the new reality. In the past 6 years alone, we have been confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, invasions and occupations with a subsequent refugee crisis and rising geopolitical tensions reshaping global cooperation. This has affected every aspect of our daily lives, and universities are no exception. The way universities work and collaborate needed to change, directly influencing the internationalisation of higher education. In a world that seems to steer away from openness and collaboration, how can universities pursue cooperation sustainably and responsibly? How can international partnerships continue to be strengthened? And how can International Relations Offices better prepare for change?
University staff dealing with international cooperation have been confronted with different threats to academic collaboration, from fears of foreign interference to concerns about knowledge security, such as those raised by dual-use research or partnerships with institutions in higher-risk contexts. However, universities are still not completely prepared to deal with these issues. International Office colleagues are often asked to support and advise academics and university leadership on how to proceed with partnerships potentially affected by these threats. In most cases, they must do so without policies or guidelines to support decision-making, and with urgency playing an important role.
1 A first step towards resilient internationalisation is recognising the risks that can affect international partnerships. If we are to strengthen international cooperation while maintaining the autonomy of each university, it is crucial to increase awareness of the potential threats that can affect international partnerships and of their possible impact on the institution. This is an evolving challenge, as new threats may always be emerging. Resorting to settings in which several universities are present, such as European University Alliances or networks such as EUF, can mitigate this issue: exchanging experiences with peers allows emerging risks to be identified earlier and builds a more thorough understanding of how others are dealing with the same problem.
2 A second step is a joint reflection on what should guide decision-making regarding international partnerships. What principles should be considered? How can potential ethical questions be assessed, and how can stakeholders be guided to make informed and thought-through decisions? The answers to these questions can help assess current collaborations as well as potential ones still under consideration. While internal discussions on these matters at each university are key, perspectives from other institutions can greatly deepen and validate the conclusions. It is precisely this exchange that the FORTIFY consortium seeks to foster.
At the EAIE Conference 2026, the consortium is organising a World Café session that will delve into this topic, inviting participants to reflect together on the shared principles that should underpin ethical and values-based cooperation and to take home concrete approaches from peer institutions.
“From disruption to direction: Navigating values and resilience in international relations offices” – S3.10
9 September 2026, 13:30-14:40
3 Finally, resilience requires practical tools. Mechanisms and guidelines on resilient internationalisation and international partnership assessment must be made available to staff members making these decisions. These resources can be developed by universities themselves, within European University Alliances or networks, and through initiatives such as FORTIFY, which aims to strengthen the resilience of European universities in a changing geopolitical landscape. Making them available would help staff make quicker and more informed decisions, fully aligned with the goals and objectives of their university.
Instability is no longer the exception: it is the environment in which internationalisation now takes place. Resilience must therefore be built into international cooperation rather than improvised with each new crisis, resting on three pillars: awareness of emerging threats, shared principles for decision-making, and practical guidelines for the staff who put these principles into practice. No university can address this alone; alliances and networks are the natural venues for developing common approaches. Preparing for risk is not a retreat from openness, but rather the condition for sustaining it. Investing in resilient internationalisation protects cooperation, and International Relations Offices have a central role to play in this conversation, as the first line of support for institutional partnerships.
The FORTIFY session at the EAIE Conference 2026 will be one of the opportunities to continue this discussion together. To stay informed about ethical and value-based internationalisation and relevant learning modules, you can sign up for our mailing list here.
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