With a chapter contributed by IAU Manager for Internationalization Giorgio Marinoni, New Conversations on Global Citizenship Education explores the multifaceted aspects of global citizenship education (GCE) in the context of contemporary university research, teaching and learning.

Through dialogues, interviews and chapters from internationally recognised experts, the book illuminates GCE's complexities and potential within higher education contexts. The collection offers critical perspectives on GCE across diverse cultural and knowledge frameworks from the Global South and the Global North. Contributors explore innovative pedagogical approaches for fostering global citizenship, analyzing recent research findings and trends, address implementation challenges and examining GCE's influence on educational policy reform.

Written for researchers and educators seeking to deepen their theoretical understanding of GCE and understanding implications for teaching practice, this volume will appeal to those with interests in citizenship education, globalization, education policy and higher education.

Learn more here and purchase the book here.

This DAAD report brings together data from the IAU 6th Global Survey on Internationalization and the INDISTRA project (funded by the German Federal Foreign Office), focusing on how digital transformation is reshaping international strategies in universities—especially in Germany. The findings highlight emerging trends and offer practical recommendations for policymakers, higher education leaders, and stakeholders to support and scale virtual internationalisation.

More information:

• DAAD-studies: Studien - DAAD

• Forschung Kompakt (DE): Forschung kompakt - DAAD

• Forschung Kompakt (EN): DAAD Research Brief - DAAD

This report serves as a complementary study to the 6th IAU Global Survey on the Internationalization of Higher Education (2024). While the Global Survey provided extensive quantitative data on institutional priorities and practices, this follow-up publication offers qualitative perspectives gathered from interviews with representatives of 11 higher education institutions worldwide.

The report is also an outcome of the research project “The Future of Internationalization Partnership,” supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Project Number 890200018) and it is the result of a collaboration between the IAU and the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto.

More information:

• Full publication

• Publication launch

• IAU Global Surveys on Internationalization of Higher Education

The Future of Internationalization Partnership (FIP) was a three-year project, begun in May 2021, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) that brings together The Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) at Boston College, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, and the IAU.

The outcome of the first year of the project, the report "The Internationalization of Higher Education in the Wake of COVID-19: A Rigorous Review of the Literature on Short-Term Impacts"  was published in September 2022.

In early 2025, the article "Im/mobility in a disruptive time: the impact of Covid-19 on the size and directional flow of international student mobility” was published in Comparative Migration Studies and is available on open access here. This article is based upon the work from COST Action CA20115 ‘European Network on International Student Mobility: Connecting Research and Practice’, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology).

IAU and Boston College collaborated on a research project about the role of English language instruction in higher education institutions(HEIs) around the world. IAU and the Boston College Center for International Higher Education (CIHE) co-supervised research undertaken by Xinyan (Sissi) Liu, a student in CIHE’s Master of Arts program in International Higher Education. This program requires that all students participate in a course titled “Field Experience in International Higher Education.” The course combines practical experience at higher education organizations, such as the IAU, with an in-depth research project.

Sissi’s report explores the national policies and role of English language instruction at HEIs in Brazil, France, Malaysia, South Africa and Spain. This is a particularly timely topic at the time when English language has become dominant in many fields, including in highly cited research and scholarship more broadly.

The first and second IAU Global Surveys on the Covid-19 Pandemic identified significant interruptions to both Teaching & Learning(T&L) and internationalization activities. The innovative responses from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) around the world noted in the Global Survey reports generated interest in investigating the particular reasons behind these changes. This qualitative research project focusing on specific aspects of transformations in T&L and internationalization was developed as a result. It was carried out in the aftermath of a particularly turbulent period, but at the same time a period that saw a high level of innovation and resilience as institutions sought to continue their mission despite the challenging context. The results of this qualitative research project allow us to understand how and to what extent the experiences of HEIs during the pandemic have generated changes and transformations that go beyond the pandemic, as the project was conducted at a time where HEIs were no longer forced to rely on digital technologies to continue operating.

Read the report here.

The IAU contributed insights from the 6th Global Survey on Internationalization to a new collaborative study by the DAAD German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), exploring how digital transformation is reshaping international strategies in universities, with a focus on Germany. The study combines data from the IAU Global Survey and the INDISTRA project (funded by the German Federal Foreign Office) and highlights emerging trends and practical recommendations for policymakers, higher education leaders, and stakeholders to support virtual internationalisation.

Abstract: How are German universities coping with internationalisation in the course of digital transformation? This article addresses this question on the basis of selected findings from the INDISTRA project, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, and survey data from the International Association of Universities (IAU). The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption, fostering change in internationalisation practices. Internal drivers include international office leaders and academic leadership, while external factors involve funding agencies like the EU and DAAD. The study highlights increasing roles for IT staff and collaboration between administrative and academic personnel to enhance online delivery and partnerships. Post-pandemic, digital tool usage declined, but strategic focus shifted towards Internationalisation of the Curriculum (IoC) and Internationalisation at Home (IaH), emphasising inclusion and widening participation. Blended Intensive Programmes (BIPs) merge online and face-to-face exchanges, appealing to both sceptics and enthusiasts. Digitalisation offers potential but requires strategic integration, organisational support, digital literacy, and a holistic approach that promotes access, inclusion, diversity, and sustainable outcomes.

DAAD-studies: Studien - DAAD 
Forschung Kompakt (DE): Forschung kompakt - DAAD 
Forschung Kompakt (EN): DAAD Research Brief - DAAD