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INTERNATIONALISATION STRATEGY 2016-2026 INTRODUCTION 1 The University Strategy and associated Development Plan (2015) set the direction for

growth and development that will position the University of Bradford as world leading. The University strategy identified four objectives of excellence, internationalisation, sustainability, and equality and diversity and places emphasis on growth through reputational enhancement. The plan for growth involves an increase in student numbers in the order of 25– 30% over the next ten years with a particular focus on growing the number of international and postgraduate students as well as seeking to treble research income by 2024 and increase research quality and power.

2 The University vision to be a world-leading technology university will be achieved by enhancing our international reputation for research and teaching excellence. We will use our strengths to attract international students to Bradford. We will provide students with a truly exceptional international experience, and develop them as global citizens. We will build a network of high quality (recruitment, teaching and research) academic partnerships around the globe.

3 Internationalisation will be embedded within our activities to ensure we achieve global

impact through our teaching, research and knowledge transfer. The Internationalisation strategy outlines the vision and necessary actions to further advance the University’s position as a leading international University.

4 The Internationalisation Strategy will support the University’s mission to actively promote

equality and diversity and increase the diversity of our staff and student body in terms of cultural, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds. This will lead to a university community rich in different cultures, with groups and individuals learning from each other.

5 The strategy builds upon the University’s current ranking of 118th among 800 worldwide institutions for the extent of its internationalisation (Times Higher 2016). The University has 1,746 students on campus from 139 countries (1067 from outside the EU and 679 EU). Over 5,600 students are studying for UoB awards outside of Bradford. 19% of academics are from outside the UK and 11% from outside the EU. 43.3% of research publications are co-authored with institutions in other countries (the UK sector average is 43.9%) [SciVal, March 2016].

6 However, the University’s current rankings (QS: 551-600; Times Higher: 601-800; Shanghai

Jiaotong: not top 500) are hindering recognition by Ministries and potential university partners and not allowing the University to capitalise on the extent of its internationalisation.

7 The strategy identifies four key action areas:

A. Increase global engagement and profile;

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B. Grow the international student population at Bradford and overseas; C. Develop global graduates and internationalise the staff and student experience; D. Build strategic research-based partnerships for global impact.

8 Actions are listed in each area, categorised as H – high priority, to be started immediately

or within the first 12 months; M – medium-term; L - longer-term. High priority actions are summarised in the Conclusions section. Key performance indicators are in Appendix 1.

A. INCREASE GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AND PROFILE (i) Engage strategically 9 The University’s international engagement has historically been to the East and South of

the globe. Table 1 provides an overview of this geographical engagement. Each region requires a differentiated strategy given the complex combination of factors and priorities.

Geographical engagement

East Asia China Japan, South Korea

A Bradford hub: A Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise (WFOE) has been established and the East Asia regional office is operating in Beijing. Student recruitment: mainland China is the number one international market. The University is part of the Sino-British College joint venture in Shanghai. Transnational Education (TNE): Potential large-scale opportunities in mainland China; niche courses with peer institutions. Study abroad: demand from our students for short-form mobility (summer school, internships) in China. Strategic partnering/RKT: peer/strategic partners – Sichuan University; Health/Peking University; mainland China is a Newton Fund country. Asia Pacific is the second largest source of co-publishing with Bradford researchers. Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea are significant recruitment markets and RKT partners. Over 5000 alumni in mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

South East Asia/ASEAN

A very diffuse region of 10 distinct countries and sets of priorities. Indonesia: growing recruitment market and partner. Malaysia: need to build recruitment pathways. Thailand, Vietnam: need to become active. Myanmar: developing country and market - needs a watching brief. Strategic partnering/RKT: Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines are all Newton Fund counties.

Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

A Bradford hub: the MENA regional office is operating in Dubai, UAE. Student recruitment: important, established markets across the Gulf and MENA. TNE: In-country teaching (Faculty of Management and Law and Faculty of Health Studies) within UAE, potential to scale up across the Gulf. Strategic partnering/RKT: Faculty of Engineering and Informatics in Egypt;

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source of potential funding partners; Egypt and Turkey are the only Newton Fund countries.

Europe/EU

Student recruitment: strong recruitment markets. Need to continue to diversify away from overreliance on Greece. Global graduate: demand from our students and staff for mobility. Enabled through Erasmus+ schemes. Strategic partnering/RKT: largest source of co-publishing; EC infrastructure in place - Horizon 2020, structural funds; source of peer institution partners. Turkey is a Newton Fund country.

South Asia India, Pakistan, Bangladesh

India. Student recruitment: very large potential market but we need to rebuild student recruitment, through developing courses meeting employability needs. TNE: potential for large-scale ventures. Study abroad: niche opportunities (e.g. study groups) through UK government supported programmes. Strategic partnering/RKT: India is a good source of peer/strategic partners and is a Newton Fund country. A University South Asia research group has been formed. Pakistan: Strategy needs to be revisited following the change of Chancellor. Needs to take into account the links to the City and the Namal partnership. Bangladesh: Rebuilding recruitment and recognition through Ministries.

Sub-Saharan Africa

Student recruitment: strong markets historically in West Africa, but diversifying into East and Southern Africa. Study abroad: niche opportunities e.g. study groups Development/Peace Studies. Strategic partnering/RKT: strong government links (e.g. 50th event with African Union in Ethiopia); strong capacity building agenda through JEFCAS (John & Elnora Ferguson Centre for African Studies); South Africa and Kenya are Newton Fund countries. Faculty of Social Sciences in particular will play a large role in informing strategy.

Central Asia Potential. Student recruitment: limited activity. Strategic partnering/RKT: source of potential funding partners; Kazakhstan is the only Newton Fund country.

Americas USA, Canada Latin America

Potential. Need to develop university support for activity. USA, Canada: demand from our students for study abroad, recruitment (Faculty of Mangement and Law and Faculty of Life Sciences). Strategic partnering/RKT: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico are Newton Fund countries.

Table 1. Overview of the University’s geographical engagement

10 Actions:

• Develop differentiated regional and country strategies which integrate activity across different areas - recruitment, RKT, study abroad and are grounded in sound market intelligence and management information. Recognise the diverse needs and harness the strengths at Faculty and individual level and enable the best of top-down and bottom-

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up/organic approaches (H) • Provide strategic direction through the Internationalisation Strategy and

Internationalisation Implementation Plan overseen by the Internationalisation Group chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) (H, established October 2015)

• Strengthen Faculty involvement in the Internationalisation Group by formalising the role of Internationalisation leads. Develop institutional-level frameworks for activities which recognise the diverse needs and harness the strengths at Faculty and individual level and enable the best of top-down and bottom-up/organic approaches (H underway)

• Identify country champions to keep a watching brief on countries with potential (M, underway)

(ii) Develop international hubs and presence 11 The University currently has two international hub locations – the regional office in Beijing

servicing East Asia and the regional office in Dubai servicing MENA. Both feature a physical office with University staff based overseas permanently.

12 For Beijing, effort has been spent on ensuring that the office is legally compliant with local

regulations. However, the office remains under resourced with the university not taking the extra step to reap the benefits after establishing a platform. Opportunities lie in: • growing student recruitment (despite changing demographics, mainland China still

remains the number one market for universities). A bigger push is needed into digital and social media marketing and recruitment pathway partnerships;

• engaging with China as an RKT partner. We will build on the good work of the Science Bridges and Open Innovation (linking research. SMEs and government) programmes to develop the research and knowledge transfer agenda.

13 For Dubai, the situation is similar. The office, despite operating under a branch campus

license, is carrying out mainly a representative office function. The 2014 QAA report identified the need to provide more support for students on in-country delivery courses. Opportunities lie in: • growing student recruitment. We will capitalise on Dubai as a transport and educational

hub, reaching beyond MENA to South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa; • developing as a TNE hub reaching beyond the UAE to the wider Gulf as well as Sub-

Saharan Africa and South Asia. 14 The experience with Beijing and Dubai shows that establishing physical presence overseas

through an office is a very complicated process. Local regulations differ considerably and change over time. This affects decisions on staffing, office space and the range of permitted operations and requires specialist expertise. The University has limited management capacity to develop and manage international hub locations which rely on physical presence overseas.

15 A degree of presence can be achieved through the establishment of joint labs (as with

Science Bridges in China) or large-scale TNE opportunities. Other models for

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representation are possible which rely on outsourcing. In Greece the University has outsourced recruitment and student support services to an agent. In Nigeria the University has worked with an agent to have a dedicated in-house representative. South East Asia and India would be other regions to test this approach.

16 Actions:

• Develop the East Asia regional office in Beijing as a hub with a focus on: student recruitment, relationship and alumni management and RKT partnerships. Explore opportunities for wider regional coverage. Establish a China strategy group to identify opportunities, resource needs and strategy for mainland China (H)

• Develop the MENA regional office in Dubai as a hub with a particular focus on recruitment, development as a TNE hub, relationship management (H)

• Develop models of agent-based representation for select regions, starting with South East Asia and India (M)

• Develop models based on research (joint labs) and large-scale TNE (M) (iii) Increase profile and visibility 17 The university’s identity as a technology university provides a distinctive proposition to

build profile and visibility with senior international stakeholders (governments, universities, businesses). The establishment of a World Technology Universities Network (see section D below) will strengthen the university’s distinctiveness and mitigate issues of ranking and visibility.

18 Actions:

• Develop a proposition and communication strategies aimed at senior stakeholders and contacts based on our identity as a technology university (H)

• Develop a programme of Vice-Chancellor and Senior Management-led corporate delegations and a calendar of high-profile external events (e.g. STS, Japan; Going Global conference; UK agency events and governmental delegations) (H, underway)

• Develop contacts and build relationships with key UK government bodies and agencies (Embassies, UKTI, Science & Innovation, UK HE International Unit, British Council) and overseas governments (M)

• Leverage the alumni network to bring influence to bear (M)

B. GROW THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT POPULATION AT BRADFORD AND OVERSEAS 19 There are currently over 4 million globally mobile tertiary education students, and this

number is set to increase. Despite the UK continuing to lose market share to rival host destination countries, particularly Australia and the United States, the number of new UK international enrolments increased in 2013/2014 for the first time in three years. The number of university-sponsored applicants for student visas is growing, and the UK holds a 12.6% share of the market for internationally-mobile students (second highest to the United States).

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20 Over the next year we will review our approach to international recruitment to increase our market share through a more efficient business model. This will be against the backdrop of increasing entry requirements. We will seek to recruit from a diverse set of countries, develop new markets and increase recruitment of students already based in the UK. This is not only to avoid overexposure to particular markets but to ensure a diverse student body without overrepresentation of particular nationalities. We will ensure that we increase the number of women studying in STEM subject areas where they may be under-represented.

21 Table 2 shows the range of recruitment channels used for 2015/16 entry. These are not

mutually exclusive so a student may come via a combination of an agent and a recruitment pathway.

International outside EU EU Recruitment channel UG PGT PGR Total UG PGT PGR Total Agents 93 89 10 192 116 29 2 147 Unique total 50 89 10 149 116 29 2 147 Recruitment pathway agreements

SQA HND, China (also involved agents) 43

Heilongjiang University (+ 18 visiting students) 3

University partners (China, South Korea) 10

UK privates (Bellerbys, EF, Kaplan) 8

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NCUK 90 10

2

Total pathway agreement students 154 10

164 3

3

Unique total 154 10

164 3 3 Sponsors Government/Embassy (incl. 44 from agents) 20 67 17

- Chevening scholars 26

Commercial (incl. 8 from agents) 2 20 3

Total Sponsored students 22 87 17 126

Unique total 8 54 12 74

Others direct, third party referrals (Education UK) 13 143 4 160 47 33 3 83 Total enrolments (full time, September entry) 225 296 26 547 166 62 5 233

Table 2. Recruitment channels 2015/16 entry (full time only)

22 Transnational education (TNE, delivering UoB awards outside the UK) provides a means of

growing the student population and teaching students who would otherwise not be able to study at the Bradford campus. The University has had a long tradition of TNE. In 2014/15 there were over 5,600 students studying for UoB awards overseas, 4,317 through collaborative provision (UoB awards involving delivery by partner institutions) and 1,316 studying through in-country delivery (e.g. flying faculty in Dubai) or by distance learning.

23 In 2012 the University reviewed its approach to Partnerships (including TNE with partners)

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A clear focus was placed on partnerships that would enhance academic reputation and reach through the delivery of education, research and knowledge transfer of global significance. Consequently, a more deliberative approach to the management and development of partnership has been adopted resulting in a focus on enhancing the quality of academic provision and academic reputation. This has led to withdrawal from some long-standing but weaker franchise based partnerships with a consequent decline in revenue in the coming years.

24 Nine key actions will be undertaken to increase international student recruitment:

(i) Remodel the planning and monitoring processes through business-oriented techniques; (ii) Adopt CRM for a personalised student journey and improved conversion; (iii) Develop new agent models; (iv) Increase the number of recruitment pathway agreements; (v) Diversify the range of recruitment channels; (vi) Increase the number of sponsorship agreements and ensure recognition in key markets; (vii) Streamline foundation and English language routes into study at Bradford; (viii) Develop a competitive proposition to meet diverse and changing international needs; (ix) Develop the TNE offer.

(i) Remodel the planning and monitoring processes through business-oriented techniques 25 The application of techniques from business and marketing will allow a significant up-

scaling of operation. The changes will require a mix of skill sets in the university: geographical and language specialities; opportunity spotting and business development; sales; marketing; development and negotiation of agreements; management of partners and sponsors; and supporting student cohorts from partners. There is good use of primary intelligence (gathered in market) but a more systematic use of both quantitative and qualitative secondary data is required.

26 Actions:

• Invest in increased use of market intelligence and improve management information by embedding Customer Relationship Management (CRM) processes to provide a robust tracking of impact and spend to inform planning and delivery (H, underway)

• Develop models for: recruitment channels; activities; cost of acquisition per student; pricing and costing (tuition fee, scholarship and fee discount levels) (H)

• Review the staff skills sets, and resourcing to support these new processes (H, underway under the Bradford Excellence Programme)

• Review the use of target and performance related financial incentives for staff (M)

(ii) Adopt CRM for a personalised student journey and improved conversion 27 The student journey can be divided into two main stages: Enquirer/pre-application (from

enquiry to application); and Applicant (from application to enrolment). The introduction of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) processes is providing three main benefits: a

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seamless, personalised experience for students ensuring that the information they need to ensure enrolment is provided to them; improved management information within the recruitment cycle; more effective enquiry management and better targeting of applicant conversion activity.

28 Action:

• Embed CRM processes to provide a personalised student journey (H, underway) (iii) Develop new agent models 29 We currently have 132 agents, responsible for around 20% of student enrolments from

outside the UK. The current model of working with agents (standardised contract, commission paid based on enrolments) worked in the past. However, there has been increasing variation in the sector in the roles of agents, the services they can provide and how the University itself is working. As seen earlier different agent models already operate in Greece and Nigeria.

30 Actions: • Develop a group of select agent representatives (e.g. Greece, Africa, South East Asia,

India) (H, underway) • Develop new contractual models to reflect changes in new University ways of working

and changes in the agent sector (M) • Manage agents using CRM technology and implement annual agent performance

reviews against targets and compliance with UCKISA Code of Ethics and the QAA Guidance on working with international students (M, underway)

(iv) Increase the number of recruitment pathway agreements 31 These agreements are made with academic institutions or providers of non-standard

qualifications and include progression agreements (guaranteed admission at entry level); recognition agreements (non-guaranteed admission at entry level or advanced standing); and standard entry (e.g. UG students coming on to Bradford for PGT study).

32 Actions: • Develop a significantly increased number of recruitment pathway agreements to deliver

students into UG as well as PGT programmes (H) • Streamline processes for mapping and approving pathway agreements (M) • Deliver training for staff to understand the use of different pathway agreements

(recognition, progression, standard entry and articulation) (M) (v) Diversify the range of recruitment channels 33 The direct recruitment channel should be developed further through digital and social

media. Pilots have been conducted in Africa and India and there is considerable scope for going further, particularly in mainland China where the “netizen” is a particularly

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significant phenomenon.

34 Alumni are some of the most effective ambassadors for the university. Alumni have been included in conversion activities with applicants. The development of a wider alumni strategy will allow the scaling up of their role in student recruitment.

35 Actions:

• Develop an effective approach to digital marketing and social media campaigns, starting with mainland China (H)

• Continue to develop relationships with a select number of high quality secondary schools in key overseas markets (M)

• Broaden the network of alumni ambassadors around the world and provide support and materials to facilitate them in promoting the university and its programmes (M, dependent on alumni plans)

• Develop referral schemes for our current students and alumni to recommend potential applicants (M, underway)

(vi) Increase the number of sponsorship agreements and ensure recognition in key markets 36 Due to the University’s rankings we face a constant battle to ensure that Ministries

recognise or include the University in their sponsorship lists. 265 overseas fee paying full-time students are sponsored by public or private bodies (14% of UG, 31% of PGT and 52% of PGR).

37 Actions:

• Increase the number of sponsored students and agreements with key sponsors e.g. Chevening, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (H, underway)

• Seek recognition in key markets including Saudi Arabia (H, underway) • Strengthen relationships with Ministries and sponsors through a regular programme of

visits (M, underway) (vii) Streamline foundation and English language routes into study at Bradford 38 The current University foundation year offer is fragmented with some foundation years

aimed at a UK rather than an international audience and a failure to match up with the Language Centre offer. A streamlined University offer would allow a coherent package to be put to students and to sponsoring governments.

39 One successful foundation route for international students is NCUK (Northern Consortium UK). The University is a founding member of the Northern Consortium, a group of 10 universities from the North of England that provide undergraduate foundation and pre-masters preparation programmes. The NCUK channel was responsible for 100 students enrolling at Bradford in 2015/16. The University is receiving above its market share so in the longer-term the potential growth through this channel will be limited by the growth of NCUK itself.

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40 Actions:

• Develop an International Foundation Year (IFY) programme as a route to Bradford degree programmes (H, underway, 2017 target delivery)

• Develop a coherent “routes to Bradford” offer consisting of pre-sessional English, effective learning services (FOML) and foundation programmes (M, underway)

• Review the potential for a University Pre-Masters Programme (PMP) (L) • Evaluate the potential of a joint venture with a commercial provider to deliver an IFY on

campus in Bradford to serve Bradford and the north of England (M) • Play an active role in NCUK and align university recruitment strategy with the strategy of

NCUK (M) (viii) Develop a competitive proposition to students 41 Our proposition to students includes the course offering, fee levels, scholarships and the

student experience. Postgraduate international applications and enrolments have significantly reduced over the past four years. Competitors have been more nimble in adjusting courses to meet the work experience and employment needs of international students. The Academic Portfolio Review is identifying areas of strengths and weakness in the course offerings. New programme development needs to be market led and subject to stronger market analysis. Looking beyond the course offering, the International Student Barometer (ISB) student survey shows particular concerns with safety in the wider city environment.

42 Actions: • Develop a competitive proposition to international students. Include international

trends and preferences in portfolio development planning for all new programmes, particularly work experience and placement opportunities (H underway)

• Work closely with the City Council to ensure a welcoming and safe city environment (H, underway)

• Ensure that fee levels and the scholarship offer are aligned with each other and match conditions in different markets (M, underway)

• Ensure that publicity and marketing promotes positive images of University diversity (L) (ix) Develop the Transnational Education (TNE) offer 43 The University is now well positioned for a second-generation approach to TNE (“UoB TNE

2.0”). The approach will be to continue to develop sustainable long-term TNE, grounded in academic excellence, mutually beneficial and based on confidence and trust.

44 As detailed earlier, the University has limited management capacity to develop and manage international hub locations. MENA provides one of the best opportunities to develop large-scale TNE. If another hub is to focus on TNE the steps involved would entail screening possible locations and potential partners utilising a set of objective criteria such as: political stability; legislative and bureaucratic environment; currency stability and

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exchange rates; level of domestic consumption; established HE student market; clear and support regulations for TNE; level of competitive clutter; research and knowledge transfer environment; skilled talent pool or location attractiveness to staff; financial incentives/investment available; appropriate ethics and values.

45 Actions:

• Develop MENA as a TNE hub: explore Foundation Year opportunities; pursue CAA recognition (which would allow recognition across the Gulf); review the staffing and resourcing to support TNE in Dubai (H, underway under Bradford Excellence) (H)

• Scope two large-scale TNE opportunities which also provide opportunities for research and knowledge transfer or working with local industry (H)

• Develop select, niche, jointly-delivered programmes through partnerships with peer institutions as part of a broader Partnership Strategy (M)

• Develop an increased (but limited) portfolio of high quality distance learning (DL) programmes, enabling global reach and leveraging experience gained on the DL MBA. Review potential for partnering with a global educational provider to facilitate the development and delivery of these DL programmes (M)

C. DEVELOP GLOBAL GRADUATES AND INTERNATIONALISE THE STAFF AND STUDENT EXPERIENCE 46 We must enhance the preparation of our students to learn and work in labour markets

that increasingly require graduates to be effective in global settings. Greater emphasis will therefore be placed on internationalising the curriculum and supporting students to access study and volunteering opportunities abroad through student mobility. This aligns with actions proposed in the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy.

(i) Internationalise the curriculum 47 This requires support for academics to internationalise their teaching practice. One

enabler is the Erasmus+ programme, which provides mobility opportunities for academic staff to identify, adopt and share best practice and to jointly develop programmes with peer institutions.

48 Actions: • Make strategic use of the Erasmus+ staff mobility scheme by aligning with the

internationalisation strategy objectives. Target 3 staff mobilities per year per Faculty (M)

• Ensure that staff development courses and teaching excellence award schemes encourage curricula informed by a broad global view with specific learning outcomes linked to international perspectives and diverse learning styles (M)

• Promote external funding opportunities for curriculum innovation e.g. Erasmus+ strategic partnerships (for joint MSc development) and other EU programmes (L)

(ii) Increase student mobility and international engagement opportunities

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49 An analysis of HESA data shows that in 2013/2014, 62 students engaged in Erasmus

study/traineeships and 110 students undertook study or placements abroad. An informal ranking puts the University 75th out of 129 in the proportion of all UG students having an international mobility experience but falling to 93rd when only home UG students are considered.

50 Actions: • Increase the number of home students and the number of non-UK (EU and

international) students going on mobilities to countries other than their home countries. Target: increase by 20 students within existing resource by 2018. (H)

• Review the organisational structures, staffing and resourcing with a view to increasing the number of new mobility opportunities and exchange partnerships (H)

• Increase the range of international engagement opportunities eligible for the HEAR (HE Achievement Record) (e.g. shorter study visits or opportunities not requiring travel) to enable students to participate who may not otherwise be able to due to cultural requirements, disability, parental responsibility, prior learning experience and backgrounds) (M)

• Include a study abroad element in all undergraduate programme specifications and recognise by awarding credit or recording in HEAR by 2020 (M)

• Introduce a measure for recording in HEAR the inter-cultural competencies developed as a result of a study abroad or international work placement and explore the development of a Bradford Global Graduate award (L)

(iii) Internationalise the staff and student experience 51 International students bring with them a diverse and changing set of needs. To meet these

needs requires internationalising the campus, the services offered, and the approach of staff. This has the wider benefit of providing a diverse environment for all of our students and staff.

52 The internationalisation of the campus and services needs to be underpinned by internationalising professional services staff practice through professional development. The International Student Barometer (ISB) student satisfaction survey showed strong and consistent ratings for support services with many ranked top 5 or top 10 (out of 49 UK universities). However, many services are overly reliant on being delivered by dedicated individuals. The planned increase in international student population will require a corresponding scaling up in levels of support.

53 The ISB also identified the lack of opportunity international students have to interact with

the host culture. A related issue is that of ensuring integration within the student body. 54 One area of growing importance is the welcome the university should provide to

academics or students who are at risk, refugees or asylum seekers. The University has already started the process through membership of CARA and the development of a

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scholarship scheme. The Faculty of Health Studies gained recognition as a Sanctuary in Health in 2015. The University should align its response with the City of Bradford’s role as a City of Sanctuary.

55 Actions:

• Review the organisational structures, staffing and resourcing with a view to increasing the student experience support for EU and international students (H)

• Achieve University of Sanctuary status by 2017 (H, underway) • Target 3 staff mobilities per year via Erasmus+ for professional services (M) • Implement a cultural competency/un-conscious bias training programme for all staff

including external service providers (M) • Introduce a buddying scheme for new international students and home students (L) • Increase opportunities for integration e.g. open up orientation activities to include

home students where possible (L) D. BUILD STRATEGIC RESEARCH-BASED PARTNERSHIPS

56 Table 3 shows the source regions of institutions collaborating with Bradford on

publications.

Europe 545 Asia Pacific 241 North America 186 Middle East 80 Africa 38 South America 22

Table 3. Source regions of institutions publishing with the University [SciVal, March 2016]

57 To develop research-based strategic partnerships requires two foundations: an

internationalised researcher body and an active, international PhD community. This aligns with actions proposed in the University Research Strategy.

(i) Internationalise the University researcher body 58 A building block for any partnership is international research collaboration. A 2011 Royal

Society report showed that internationalising research collaboration brings significant benefits, both measurable (such as increased citation impact and access to new markets), and less easily quantifiable outputs (such as providing multiple perspectives on problems and broadening research horizons). Internationalisation of research collaborations will ensure we produce high quality research publications and competitive funding bids.

59 Actions: • Promote funding opportunities for internationalising research with appropriate advice

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and guidance (e.g. Horizon 2020, British Academy, British Council Researcher Links). The Newton Fund, the UK government’s flagship international collaboration fund (2015-2019, £375 million with 15 countries) is now expected to be extended for another 5 years. Target: 5 successful Newton fund bids by 2019 (M)

• Provide training and mentoring for early career researchers to build skills in networking and making contacts (M, underway)

• Introduce mechanisms for bringing international research to the Bradford campus e.g. a visiting research fellows scheme; Bradford sabbaticals to be conducted internationally (M)

(ii) Develop the international PhD student body 60 A major factor in international research is the role that international PhD students play,

not just in the perspectives they bring while studying at Bradford but the opportunities for collaboration that come about when they are Bradford alumni.

61 Actions: • Review PGR recruitment and develop a strategy to include: the PGR offer, supervisory

capacity, admissions, marketing techniques and relationships with sponsors (H) • Introduce support for collaboration mechanisms such as visiting PhDs; PhD exchanges;

co-supervision and Jointly awarded PhDs; Doctoral Training Centres (M) (iii) Build strategic partnerships 62 The term partnership covers a range of different types of university relationships. Broadly

these comprise four categories: • student recruitment pathways (providing routes to study at Bradford, often with an

institution not of the same academic standing); • teaching partnerships (TNE (UoB awards delivered overseas), with a peer or an

institution not of the same academic standing); • student exchanges (no fees being charged, usually with a peer institution); • strategic partnerships (more comprehensive, usually including an RKT element, with a

peer institution). 63 Over the years, the term “partnership” at the University has become synonymous with the

first two categories only - student recruitment pathways and teaching partnerships. In many cases there was a confusion of aims between income generation, capacity building and student recruitment. Peer partnering has declined but the need for peer partnering is now often an explicit requirement (e.g. the accrediting bodies for business schools seek to accredit institutions that are at the cutting edge and working with the strongest peer partners). As detailed earlier, the 2012 partnership review stimulated a move to greater clarity and direction. However, there is still fragmentation of how partnerships are viewed, approved and managed.

64 In order to achieve our strategic objectives the University must develop strategic

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partnerships with international public and private sector organisations, governments and universities centered upon Advanced Health Care, Innovative Engineering & Manufacturing and Sustainable Societies.

65 The partnership culture and approach will become more strategic and comprehensive:

• Seeking peer institutions (equals or near equals with clear potential for development) where there is complementarity of strengths and mutual benefit;

• Developing multi-dimensional relationships covering a range of areas including teaching and learning, research and knowledge transfer, student and staff exchange;

• Linking to the three academic themes and our key research groups and centres; • Developing industry and knowledge transfer partnerships e.g. Science Bridges, Open

Innovation programmes and the Digital Health Enterprise Zone; • Undertaking capacity building only where it can be done in a sustainable way through

external funding or exceptionally university funding. 66 Actions:

• Establish a World Technology Universities Network to build profile and provide a platform for partnerships with peer institutions (H, underway)

• Review the organisational structures, staffing and resourcing to support the development and management of international partnerships (H)

• Review the governance and approval processes for international partnerships (M) • Monitor international partnerships and activity as part of annual Faculty planning, and

annual and five yearly quality assurance reviews (M, ongoing) • Target a bid to DFID’s SPHEIR (Strategic Partnerships for Higher Education Innovation

and Reform) programme for large-scale capacity building in lower-income countries (M) Conclusions and recommendations 67 The strategy outlines actions over a ten-year period. The high priority actions that should

be initiated immediately or within the first 12 months of implementation are summarised below: • Engage strategically:

o Develop differentiated regional and country strategies which integrate activity across different areas - recruitment, RKT, study abroad and are grounded in sound market intelligence and management information. Recognise the diverse needs and harness the strengths at Faculty and individual level and enable the best of top-down and bottom-up/organic approaches (H)

o Strengthen Faculty involvement in the Internationalisation Group by formalising the role of Internationalisation leads (underway)

• Develop international hubs: o Develop the East Asia regional office in Beijing as a hub with a focus on: student

recruitment, relationship and alumni management and RKT partnerships. Establish a China strategy group to identify opportunities, resource needs and strategy for mainland China

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o Develop the MENA regional office in Dubai as a hub with a focus on: student recruitment, development as a TNE hub, relationship management

• Increase profile as a technology university: o Develop a proposition and communication strategies aimed at senior

stakeholders and contacts based on our identity as a technology university • Grow the student body:

o Invest in increased use of market intelligence and improve management information by embedding Customer Relationship Management (CRM) processes to provide robust tracking of impact and spend to inform planning and delivery (underway)

o Develop models for: recruitment channels; activities; cost of acquisition per student; pricing and costing (tuition fee, scholarship and fee discount levels)

o Review the staff skills sets, and resourcing to support these new processes (underway under the Bradford Excellence Programme)

o Embed CRM processes to provide a personalised student journey (underway) o Develop a group of select agent representatives (e.g. Greece, Africa, South East

Asia, India) (underway) o Develop a significantly increased number of recruitment pathway agreements to

deliver students into UG as well as PGT programmes o Increase the number of sponsored students and agreements with key sponsors

e.g. Chevening, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission o Seek recognition in key markets including Saudi Arabia (underway) o Develop an effective approach to digital marketing and social media campaigns,

starting with mainland China o Develop an International Foundation Year (IFY) programme as a route to

Bradford degree programmes (underway, 2017 target delivery) • Develop a competitive proposition to international students. Include international

trends and preferences in planning for all new programmes, particularly work experience and placement opportunities. Work with the City Council to ensure a welcoming and safe city environment (underway)

• Develop TNE: o Develop MENA as a TNE hub: explore Foundation Year opportunities; pursue

CAA recognition (which will allow recognition across the Gulf); review the staffing and resourcing to support TNE in Dubai (underway under Bradford Excellence)

o Scope two large-scale TNE opportunities which also provide opportunities for research and knowledge transfer or working with local industry

• Increase student mobility: o Increase the number of home students and the number of non-UK (EU and

international) students going on mobilities to countries other than their home countries. Target: increase by 20 students within existing resource by 2018

o Review the organisational structures, staffing and resourcing with a view to increasing the number of new mobility opportunities and exchange partnerships

• Increase student support for the growth in student numbers: o Review the organisational structures, staffing and resourcing with a view to

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increasing the student experience support for EU and international students • Achieve University of Sanctuary status

o Achieve University of Sanctuary status by 2017 (underway) • Build strategic partnerships:

o Establish a World Technology Universities Network to build profile and provide a platform for partnerships with peer institutions (underway)

o Review the organisational structures, staffing and resourcing to support the development and management of partnerships

o Review PGR recruitment and develop a strategy to include: the PGR offer, supervisory capacity, admissions handling, marketing techniques and relationships with sponsors

Appendix 1. Key Performance Indicators Overall Measures of internationalisation

League Table position: top 200 in Times Higher International Outlook rankings. Grow the international student population

As defined in the University Development Plan, increase total student numbers by 30% by 2024 Increase the proportion of international (fee level) students to from 15% to 20% with a total of 3,000 international students by 2024.

Develop global graduates

Rank in the top half of the UK sector for home student mobility.

Internationalised student experience Rank in the UK top 10% of the International Student Barometer (ISB).

Build research-based strategic partnerships

Number of comprehensive partnerships with world ranked partners. A comprehensive partnership features two or more of: student exchange; teaching collaboration; research collaboration. For research collaboration this must lead to a contribution (e.g. publication, funding, impact study) that be returned to national research assessment exercises (e.g. REF).