TOOLKIT has been designed to combine a theoretical and practical approach for the enhancement of international relations in an Asian way. The project worked in direct synergy with other EU funded initiatives in Asia, to support them in improving the capability of Asian Universities to manage projects and other international actions. The project’s structure and goals are articulated according to five technical work packages.
- WP1 aim is to consolidate a clear and detailed picture of the current internationalization strategies and practices in the three Asian countries, in order to identify their main needs and priorities in such field. The analysis focused on the current strategies, the existing EU funded projects, the established mobility flows for students and academics and the investigation of needs and priorities of the target groups. The outcomes of this WP guided the actions of the following ones, seeking to create tailor-made training activities for the modernisation of the international relations strategies implemented by Asian HEIs. The following WPs consist in a series of trainings in the EU Partners Universities.
- The first training (WP2) was carried out at Vilnius University. It included first the writing/updating of the IR strategic plans in each Asian TOOLKIT partner, and second the organization of a national workshop at the Ministry of Education in the three involved Countries.
- The main activities of WP3 were represented by the completion of an online training program of three modules on project design and management hosted by UNIBO. The trainees carried out a workshop at their Home Universities, aimed at standardising IRO’s practices in designing and managing projects.
- The paramount purpose of WP4 is to enhance the capabilities of Asian Universities in strategizing, promoting and managing students’ mobility schemes. TOOOLKIT Asian partners participated to an online training held by Uppsala University aimed at designing a shared mobility management model, which has been described in a specific Handbook.
- After having assisted Asian universities in drafting their own models of internationalization and in enhancing their know-how when dealing with international projects and mobility flows, WP5 is characterized by one overarching goal: placing such a newly consolidated expertise at the service of the local academic communities, as the ultimate beneficiaries of the TOOLKIT project’s legacy. In parallel, the project also seeked to raise the awareness of governmental bodies and agencies in the three Asian countries by means of a more efficient synergy among universities, ministries, and students in articulating the next steps forward towards an effective integration with the global academic community.
- The additional four transversal WPs will be relevant for dissemination, exploitation and sustainability strategies realized through the preparation of various Virtual Tools and an Interactive Map, that will raise the attention of local policymakers on the needs of Asian HEIs. Moreover, TOOLKIT contemplates a vast range of efforts that are tailored to maximize the spread of its outcomes both on a national and international level, including the introduction of innovative promotional materials for Asian Universities, while entailing a constant improvement of their own websites, which often lack transparent information on IR outlook.
Each training (WP2,WP3,WP4) was followed by National Cascade trainings in Sri Lanka, Laos and Myanmar seeking to ignite a long-lasting spillover effect on a national and regional dimension. Moreover, great emphasis was accorded to the principles of fair access and inclusiveness, by involving the Universities located in peripheral areas.
