Highlights from EAIE Gothenburg 2025: Responsible Internationalization
The International Association of Universities (IAU) was pleased to participate in the 2025 Annual Conference of the European Association for International Education (EAIE), hosted this year in Gothenburg, Sweden. Bringing together more than seven thousands higher education professionals from over 100 countries around the world, the conference served as an inspiring platform to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and collectively reflect on the future of international education. For IAU, it was both an opportunity to strengthen long-standing partnerships and to forge new connections within the global higher education community.
The IAU was represented by both Secretary General Dr. Hilligje van’t Land and Manager of Higher Education and Internationalization Giorgio Marinoni. Dr. van’t Land actively engaged with colleagues and partners throughout the conference, reinforcing the Association’s commitment to dialogue and collaboration across regions and institutions. Her presence provided an invaluable opportunity to exchange perspectives, explore synergies, and cultivate relationships that will help advance IAU’s mission to strengthen higher education worldwide.
Responsible Internationalization at the Centre of Dialogue
Among the many rich discussions at EAIE 2025, a key highlight for IAU was the session “What’s in a name? Responsible internationalization and its different meanings,” chaired by Giorgio Marinoni. The session embraced this year’s conference theme, “GO-create,” by inviting participants to actively engage in dialogue and co-creation around a concept that is increasingly shaping global conversations: responsible internationalization.
Internationalization has long been a cornerstone of higher education, enabling knowledge exchange, and global cooperation. Yet, the notion of doing so responsibly has gained prominence in recent years, reflecting growing awareness of the ethical, social, environmental and political dimensions of higher education’s global engagement.
Key Insights from the Session
The panel brought together experts from Sweden, Brazil, and other regions, providing a diverse range of perspectives on how responsible internationalization is understood and enacted across different contexts. Several important insights emerged from the discussion:
Context matters. The meaning of responsible internationalisation varies depending on the institutional, cultural, and national setting. To make the term meaningful, it must be clearly defined within each context.
Responsibility is multi-layered. It extends from broad institutional strategies and policies down to the actions of individuals—students, staff, and faculty alike. Achieving it requires a shared commitment at every level.
It is multidimensional. Responsibility cannot be reduced to a single issue. Social equity, environmental sustainability, ethical collaboration, and even questions of national security all play a role in shaping what it means to internationalise responsibly.
These discussions underscored the complexity of the concept while also highlighting its transformative potential. By recognising the many layers of responsibility, higher education institutions can build approaches to internationalization that are more ethical, inclusive and sustainable.
The Power of Collaboration
Another recurring theme was the importance of collaboration, cooperation, and co-creation. No single institution, country, or stakeholder can define or achieve responsible internationalization on their own. Instead, it requires collective reflection and joint action across borders and sectors. The conversations in Gothenburg reinforced the value of coming together as a global community to exchange perspectives, challenge assumptions, and identify shared pathways forward.
Looking Ahead
IAU warmly thanks EAIE for organising such an engaging and dynamic conference, and extends its appreciation to all those who contributed their insights and expertise to the discussions. Events such as EAIE 2025 are crucial reminders of the power of dialogue in advancing shared goals for the future of higher education.
As internationalization continues to evolve, IAU remains committed to championing cooperation and co-creation as guiding principles. By working together through partnerships, higher education institutions can shape international higher education that is not only globally connected, but also ethical, inclusive, and beneficial for society.
The conversation does not end in Gothenburg. IAU looks forward to continuing this important dialogue in the months ahead, as we collectively work to advance a more responsible internationalization for the benefit of higher education and society at large.
