International education strategy: annual report 2024 to 2025

Theme 2: Progress and Year 2 Priorities

Theme 2: as an outward looking, inclusive nation that values our international education capabilities and export potential, we will work with colleges and universities, to maximise our social, educational and economic contribution globally.

Transnational Education (TNE) Forum

Recognising the need for a collaborative approach to pursuing new transnational partnerships, the British Council led the establishment of a HE roundtable on TNE on 23 October 2024. Thirteen Scottish universities were in attendance and case studies were presented to discuss risk management and opportunities for the Scottish sector in the TNE domain. This initial session helped identify roles and responsibilities in transnational engagement and support the establishment of new approaches.

International Visits

The Scottish Government has been continuing to with FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) to communicate Study in Scotland messages through Embassies and High Commissions in target recruitment markets thus ensuring that higher and further education engagement is considered as part of the planning process for external visits as well as incoming visits. Briefing sessions are also being set up for the Consular Corps in Scotland with Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland in attendance.

Scotland House London Alumni Event

Scotland House London plays a vital role in remaining connected to Scottish HE alumni. In September, they hosted their second Scottish Universities Alumni event in collaboration with 17 of Scotland’s 19 Higher Education institutions. The event engaged with around 150 recent graduates from Scottish HE institutions beginning their careers in London. The second iteration of the event built on the success of the first, attracting more alumni and engaging additional partners including the British Council, who promoted their own International Alumni network – Alumni UK, and the Scotch Whisky Association, who promoted their whisky-related careers platform. This event enabled them to build strong working relationships with the sector, with university alumni officers engaged early in the planning and travelling to London to attend the event.

Higher Education Trade Envoy Activity

The Scottish Government’s Higher Education Trade Envoy, Professor Wendy Alexander, provided vital support to the implementation and strategic aims of the International Education Strategy. As well as becoming a member of the Ministerial-led IES Governance Group, the first year of the IES has seen the HE Trade Envoy engaged in a wide range of activity internationally, including:

• a business outreach event held in Glasgow organised by the Indonesian Government in October, highlighting Indonesia’s importance as an emerging market for Scotland with opportunities for collaboration in Higher Education, Research & Development, Technology, Renewable Energy and Just Transition; and promote Scotland as a great place to do business, as well as our strong economy, infrastructure and talented workforce as well as a thriving education sector; and Scotland’s ambitions and strengths in Renewables, Offshore wind particularly ScotWind and Wave and Tidal Energy, emphasising the potential to build links with Indonesia in all these areas.
• welcoming Afghan women medical students to Scotland.
• meeting with a Cultural Attache from the Embassy of the State of Qatar in September.
• joining a UK Higher Education Leaders’ delegation to Pakistan, alongside UK Internation Education Champion, Sir Steve Smith, in April. Activities included promoting the Scottish Scholarship Programme in Pakistan.
• supporting the delivery of the Scottish Connections Framework.
• Facilitating introductions to Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
• attending NAFSA – a key US international educators’ event - to support Team Scotland.
• providing advice to SG officials regarding alumni engagement and facilitating introductions to relevant stakeholders.
• providing strategic advice on the MAC (Migration Advisory Committee) enquiry into international students.
• presenting at the annual International Higher Education Conference hosted by UUK on the importance of international recruitment and post study work opportunities for the Scottish HE sectors.
• co-hosting the Scotland House reception for cultural and education attaches to promote Scottish Universities.

Professor Alexander has co-authored a paper entitled, ‘Evidence versus Emotion: The facts about international student recruitment and what they mean’. This International Higher Education Commission report addresses the lack of evidence for many of the assertions dominating the current debate about international higher education and reveals crucial deficiencies in the data being used to inform key policy decisions. She has been an active participant in Going Global, and as part of her role as International Higher Education Commissioner, Professor Alexander co-authored an article regarding the future of Transnational Education: IHEC_TNE-report_13_12_2023.pdf.

Life Sciences Partnership between the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance and Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP)

The Scottish Government Office in Berlin co-funds a life sciences research collaboration fund, now entering its third year, together with the Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA) and the German regional government of Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP). Collaboration on life sciences and biotechnology research and skills was further boosted in 2024 with the signing of a cooperation agreement between SULSA and the RLP Ministry for Science and Health, with the aim of developing collaborations that can apply into Horizon Europe programme streams.

Theme 2: Summary

• Scottish Universities International Partnerships group was established to increase collaboration between universities working on TNE.
• Scotland’s Education Trade Envoy undertook extensive programme of international engagement creating new and enhancing existing international partnerships.
• Scottish Connections: 21% of the Scottish Connections directory and newsletter sign-ups are alumni as of December 2024.

Theme 2: 2025/26 Priorities

Action 5:

We will use our international offices and a programme of Ministerial visits to actively promote and grow Scotland’s world class Transnational Education (TNE) and help unlock innovative opportunities for our universities and colleges in new and emerging markets.

• Maximise the use of Scottish Government’s International Hub Network to identify opportunities to create and build international education partnerships.
• Support and collaborate with Scotland’s new Education Trade Envoy including through provision of sector briefings for engagements and visits.

Action 6:

We will continue to work collaboratively to promote our universities and colleges’ TNE offer globally, including with the UK Government and British Council.

• US International Committee TNE Sub-Group to be established with British Council.
• British Council to facilitate TNE and international ambitions workshop for Scotland’s colleges in February.
• Work with stakeholders to influence overseas ministries of education to support Scottish universities engaging in TNE, particularly in new markets.
• Agree a mechanism with partners to help resolve trade barriers to Scottish education exports through UKG.
• TNE Sub-Group to work with Connected Scotland to develop a TNE brochure for use in overseas promotion.
• Work with UKG to ensure Scotland’s TNE offer is represented on International Education Champion missions.
• Scottish Government to participate in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and Bolonga Process Internationalisation/Mobility Working Group and wider EHEA networks.

Action 7:

Building on our Scottish Connections Framework, we will work with our universities and colleges to engage alumni communities and seek opportunities to connect these networks with the wider Scottish diaspora around the world.

• Ensure that Destination Scotland campaign material is shared with alumni networks.
• Consider new role for alumni as brand ambassadors and Global Scots.