Systemic University Change Towards Internationalization Erasmus Project

Project Title

Systemic University Change Towards Internationalization

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

SUCTI (Systemic University Change Towards Internationalisation) is the internationalisation at home response for administrative staff. While most internationalisation efforts have targeted students and professors, the SUCTI project has aimed at empowering the backbone of universities: its administrative staff, and this is done at home via a training course, thus reaching all staff and not just the small group of staff who knows English and can be mobile. All administrative staff, if convinced of the importance and added value of internationalisation, has proven to become true change agents towards internationalising our institutions.
The SUCTI project has been created and coordinated by the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Tarragona, Spain) and its consortium has been formed by 8 partners in total. There has been 3 universities: Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Poland), Justus Liebig Universität in Giessen (Germany) and Porto University (Portugal); two research centers: Center for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI) at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan (Italy) and UNESCO Chair of University Management of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Spain); an association: the European Association for International Education (EAIE) based in the Netherlands and a consulting company: the Global Impact Institute based in the Czech Republic. This project has also counted with the support of an Associate Partner: the SGroup European Universities Network.
The SUCTI project started by evaluating the context of training provision in internationalisation in Europe and published the “SUCTI Report on Training Provision on Internationalisation for Administrative Staff in European Higher Education Institutions”. On the basis of this report, the consortium of partners developed training materials for a Train the Trainers course, which was delivered to three trainers per participating institution (6 institutions in 5 European partners). These trainers, in turn, adapted and translated these materials to offer in-house courses in their respective institutions to peer administrative staff members. Each institution then proceeded to offer and give two training courses to their own administrative staff in their own institutional language (while only one course was originally planned). All the materials are available online on the web site of the project to be downloaded. It is important to mention that the didactic materials were posted on the occasion of the Final Conference of the project (June 27, 2019) and 1.380 downloads of these materials have already been made at the time of the writing of this report.
The SUCTI project is nevertheless wider than just the offer of training courses. Its objectives were to raise awareness of the importance of administrative staff in relation to strategic transversal processes in higher education and more precisely internationalisation. Through the development of a reference course on internationalisation for staff and the training of trainers to give this course, we have created a network of training experts in internationalisation, we have measured results of the course on participants and have made a big effort to share and disseminate this know-how, materials, manuals and results to all European universities, thus creating a multiplying effect and helping all our institutions to enhance the management, governance and innovation capacities in order to become truly international.
This awareness-raising has been not only achieved but it has surpassed all expectations. Within the project we had to conduct 5 open Seminars and more than 8 have taken place. In these open seminars participants from other higher education institutions were able to get acquainted with the project, its objectives, outcomes and how to possibly implement it in their institution. We have also participated in the main conferences in the field of international higher education: EAIE, NAFSA, AIEA and APAIE presenting sessions on the SUCTI project, methodology and results. More than 1040 professionals of higher education from all over the world have attended these sessions. An open webinar offered by EAIE was filled (200 registrations) in less than 24 hours. The web site of the project has received more than 6.300 unique visitors from 115 countries! There were 6 issues of the SUCTI Newsletter, which are still available on the web site.
Thanks to the big interest risen, the coordinating institution – URV, in agreement with all the consortium partners, has created a SUCTI Training Unit, who will manage the training requests of other interested institutions and organise Train the Trainer weeks in which staff from other universities can become SUCTI Trainers. The first Train the Trainer week will take place in October 2019.
Finally, it is important to mention that the project was distinguished with an award for its contribution to the field of internationalisation: the EAIE President’s Award 2019.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 269836 Eur

Project Coordinator

UNIVERSITAT ROVIRA I VIRGILI & Country: ES

Project Partners

• GLOBAL IMPACT INSTITUTE SRO
• UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO
• UNIVERSITA CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE
• JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITAET GIESSEN
• CHE CONSULT PRAGUE SRO
• UNIWERSYTET IM. ADAMA MICKIEWICZA W POZNANIU
• European Association for International Education