B-International - Building Internationalisation in Pakistan

B-International was a project co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, Key Action 2 Capacity Building in Higher Education.

It aimed to provide staff at universities in Pakistan with a framework by which to implement international strategies that support the wider aims of the universities and to provide staff with knowledge and practical tools to implement international activities that support the strategic aim of both the university and the wider Higher Education sector.

The project therefore examined traditional components of internationalisation such as mobility, TNE and international research, but also included more contemporary concepts such as developing international campuses that explored the wide tapestry of international cultures. This ambitious four-year project ran from January 2020 until December 2023.

Visit the website: https://b-internationalproject.com/

WP1

Work Package 1 - Benchmarking, Strategy and Training

Training on internationalisation and developing strategies to support a framework.

A series of eight internationalisation workshops as part of Work Package 1 of the B-International project were delivered via the Microsoft Teams platform by our colleagues Frédéric Dorel and Caroline Kerello of Centrale Nantes to our partners in Pakistan.

The workshops covered topics such as the essential gains of internationalisation in our global society, internationalisation at home, internationalisation strategies as well as the identification and implementation of autonomous strategies.

Watch the video for PIFD's feedback on the WP1 Online Training Sessions:

WP2

Work Package 2 - Training Workshops – CPD for All Staff

Developing a short course on internationalisation for the CPD of all staff.

Building on the feedback that has emerged from the Work Package 1 sessions, four main themes featured during WP2 training sessions. Those themes have been selected collaboratively between the EU and the Pakistani partners and were as follows:

Implementation of the strategic plan for internationalisation;
Achieving high quality international partnerships;
How to attract external funding;
The academic recognition of staff

The entire WP2 training programme happened between December 2021 and November 2022 and were co-delivered by the University of Bologna and by representatives from each one of the Partner Institution in Pakistan.

The aim of WP2 was to support the practical implementation of the internationalisation strategies which have been devised and ratified by the Pakistani HEIs during WP1 and to provide all staff with the knowledge to support and encourage the internationalisation of their institutions.

WP3

Work Package 3 - Online Learning Platform

Online learning for the professional development of staff

In much the same method as Work Package 2, staff with responsibility for internationalisation at the Partner Country’s Higher Education Institutions built on the training and strategy development that they completed in Work Package 1 to develop a programme designed to bring the concept of internationalisation to all staff.

Staff members of all the Partner Institutions in Pakistan have cooperated to develop this course, focused on concepts such as internationalisation of the institution, mobility, recognition, quality assurance, international partnerships and supporting international students.

The main goal of this course was to familiarise staff members in Pakistani universities with different degrees of experience with internationalisation implementation methods, something that could end up being significantly beneficial for their institutions.

WP4

Work Package 4 - Cultivating an International Campus

The WP4 of the B-International project focused on the internationalisation of the campus, creating opportunities to immerse Pakistani students and staff with other cultures and environments whilst on campus.

Between 2021 and 2023, the four Pakistani partner campuses host 21 international events gathering more than 1800 participants, virtually and/or face-to-face.

The Be International Award was created and developed during this project. The Be International Award provides students with an opportunity to widen their skillset, increase their international awareness and grow as an individual and a well-rounded professional by completing 6 criteria that will engage themselves with national and international faculty, staff and alumni.

50 students received the Be International Award within the project's timeframe.

WP5

Work Package 5 - Centers for Internationalisation

During the B-International project, 4 Centres for Internationalisation were created and equiped.

The centres provide a dedicated resource for students and members of the international virtual community. They are equipped with the latest smartboards for interactive and collaborative learning experiences: 25 laptops for member use and a laptop for training facilitators and guest speakers.

The centres are also equipped with virtual reality technology to enable virtual exchange and experiences of environments around the world. The technology will also allow students to film their own local learning environments to be shared with their peers around the world.

They were officially launched on 2 February 2022.

Watch the video to see what our Partners think of the Centres for Internationalisation!

WP6

Work Package 6 - Toolkit

The toolkit brings together all of the activities that the project has undertaken, providing guidelines on how they were implemented, resources and materials that support the implementation of activities, hints and tips, an analysis of the project’s activities and their impact, as well as recommendations for policy and national roll out.

Although the toolkit is mostly suited to the higher education system of Pakistan, it is also available for use by other universities internationally and may be useful to countries with comparable systems such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The toolkit can be found on the B-International website.