National guidelines for responsible internationalisation proposed

The proposal for indicative national guidelines for responsible internationalisation from the Swedish Council for Higher Education, the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova is a partial delivery of an assignment from the government to promote responsible internationalisation in higher education, research and innovation.

In the interim report, the authorities state that responsible internationalisation is a complex area and that a long-term approach is crucial. Experience and skills need to be built up over time, and in order to manage difficult trade-offs, a culture of responsible internationalisation needs to be established at several levels at higher education institutions.

The proposed guidelines for responsible internationalisation are intended to support higher education institutions, but research funding bodies and other stakeholders should also be able to follow them.

Three levels of responsibility

The system is based on a three-level division of responsibilities:

• Policy – the government or the Riksdag decides on the overall strategic focus of responsible internationalisation.
• Indicative national guidelines on assessments and standpoints that need to be considered to ensure responsible internationalisation.
• Customised guidelines for individual higher education institutions. Individual institutions, funding bodies and others develop their own guidelines based on the indicative national guidelines.

The Swedish Council for Higher Education, the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova will submit a final report on their assignment on 15 December 2024.

Anders Berndt