Internationalisation in education, research, and services is a crucial aspect of university operations in 2025. In terms of education and research, international collaboration enhances knowledge sharing, exchange, and innovation. International research projects increase the impact and reach of scientific work. An international university has a strong societal and economic impact: international students and researchers contribute to the economy and innovation within a country, play a role in diplomatic and cultural relations, and actively help study and work on solutions to global challenges such as climate change, health issues, geopolitical conflicts, etc. This positively affects the institution’s reputation and ranking, and partnerships with companies and institutions worldwide strengthen students’ career prospects. International universities also attract more (top) students and academics, enabling students to acquire intercultural skills essential in a globalised job market where multilingualism and international experience increase graduates’ employability.
UGent is already internationally active but is still far from being an international university. Internationalisation is not yet a given and is not fully integrated into our daily operations. Despite its fundamental importance, internationalisation is still too often seen as something extra, an option that students, researchers, or staff can choose or not. However, it should not be. Internationalisation is an essential part of studying, working, and researching at UGent. We believe that all stakeholders derive value from it. Therefore, UGent must change. As an international university, we must take charge: more visible, clearer, and more present. Given our impact as a university, we can play a leading role in the debate on human rights, equality, opportunities, democracy, and development cooperation. We translate this ambition into four concrete objectives for the upcoming period:
- Strong policy and efficient structures for successful internationalisation
- Strengthening UGent’s international position: strategies for global impact
- GUGC in South Korea: a strategic step towards globalisation of UGent
- A quality, warm, and safe work and study environment for international students: building a global community
- Strong policy and efficient structures for successful internationalisation
As long as internationalisation is not an established aspect of research, education, and services, it remains important to raise sufficient awareness and support the internationalisation policy. We do this within UGent at two levels. Firstly, we maintain the internationalisation council. There, we work from the university administration together with the faculties to develop a strong UGent policy. At the faculty level, we strengthen the international relations offices and internationalisation committees. Since smaller faculties often do not have the capacity to fully carry out this task, we give them the opportunity to formally collaborate and set up shared structures. This way, scarce resources are used more effectively.
In terms of the policy framework, an internationalisation assessment for (operational) policy decisions can help. This involves developing a reflex to consider what a decision means for international students or staff and whether it benefits or harms our international reputation. Staff from the Internationalisation functional domain of the university services guide and stimulate policy in the faculties, where internationalisation activities ultimately take place.
- Strengthening UGent’s international position: strategies for global impact
UGent lags behind in international visibility. UGent can and must dare to position itself more prominently, both in activities in Ghent and on the campus in Korea. International presence and visibility go beyond the rector’s presence on a princely or economic mission. It involves active and visible participation of all UGent members: students, researchers, lecturers, and other staff in international activities. For us, internationalisation also means more frequent invitations to international guest professors in Ghent or more activities around our honorary doctorates. Stronger international visibility will also lead UGent to new paths for education and research funding.
To achieve this, UGent must focus on quality partnerships, not exclusively linked to individuals but structurally embedded at the faculty level. The multitude of partnership types that UGent has makes this exercise challenging. Therefore, it is essential to keep the types of partnerships transparent and simple. Additionally, we must work on the support for network initiatives and partnerships. For us, collaboration and a bottom-up approach from the faculties are fundamental. Initiatives like Enlight and the International Thematic Networks naturally deserve all support to realise the vision of an international university, but domain-specific networks for faculties must also be supported.
The regional platforms must also be brought closer to the faculties and work more on return on investment. Clearer objectives will enable the platforms to play a much stronger role in, for example, international alumni engagement and chapter follow-up, qualitative recruitment of staff and students, or identifying and highlighting locally available funds.
Finally, UGent must remain an engaged international university. Although university development cooperation is under pressure, UGlobal must continue to be supported despite federal budget cuts. The sustainable development goals can only be achieved in Flanders and Europe if we also collaborate with the Global South.
- GUGC in South Korea: a strategic step towards globalisation of UGent
UGent holds a unique advantage in being active as an international university in Asia. Ten years ago, UGent started its activities at the Ghent University Global Campus (GUGC) in Incheon, South Korea. After ten years, it is high time to accelerate and fully exploit the potential of this campus. Incheon is the economic and scientific engine of the region, and UGent’s presence is beneficial for both the region and our university. We can use GUGC more effectively to create impact in the region, making it the hub of UGent in the broader area. The international student population at GUGC must also become more international. The influx of foreign students at GUGC for a degree or exchange is far too limited.
In addition to the three faculties currently involved in research and educational activities, other faculties should be encouraged to develop activities at GUGC, exchange staff, etc. To achieve this, the collaboration between GUGC and the faculties in Ghent must be strengthened. The campus in South Korea is still too much of a separate entity, with insufficient cooperation with the campus in Ghent. Parallel work happens too often and too much in various domains, leading to inefficiency. To realise this, we will evaluate whether the governance structure of GUGC sufficiently allows these objectives to be achieved and, if necessary, adjust it.
- A qualitative, warm, and safe work and study environment for international students: building a global community
International researchers, students, and doctoral candidates are inherently a more vulnerable group due to loneliness, financial precariousness, cultural differences, etc. It is important to us that UGent provides a warm, safe, and quality work and study environment for them. A proper welcome close to the study or workplace, where international staff and students get to know both the work or study environment and colleagues and fellow students, is essential. Faculties are responsible for this, but through collaboration between faculties and support from university services, we ensure that this becomes a meaningful and effective activity. This welcome is also important so that they are aware of the mental and scientific support the university offers.
As an international university, we must handle the large group of international researchers and students with quality. This means, firstly, that we bind them more closely to UGent in accordance with our alumni policy. Additionally, the data of these students must be transparently and accessibly available for analysis. This enables a data-driven policy to correctly recruit, support, and guide this group.