The University-Wide Value of Strategic Partnerships Sian Impey, Head International Development Office

Strategic Importance of Partnerships “ We will grow and maintain international partnerships that will enhance and support our research, teaching and student recruitment ambitions.” Swansea University Strategic Plan

Partnership Models and Activities  Recruitment-based partnerships  Student mobility-based partnerships (e.g. exchange)  Joint teaching collaborations  Research collaborations  Staff mobility  Within the EU and internationally  Erasmus+ as a vehicle

International Strategic Partnerships “We will develop a small number of high status multi-dimensional partnerships which will be research-led and driven, but also include staff and student mobility and teaching collaboration” Swansea University Internationalisation Strategy

Texas Partnership- History  Swansea University’s relationship with Texas started with the Texas-UK Collaborative, established in 2002  The Texas-UK Collaborative was a UK-wide initiative which aimed to stimulate the exchange of ideas and research in biomedicine, nanotechnology and informatics  When funding for the Collaborative ended, Swansea University had established a number of successful partnerships and continued to invest in, and grow the Texas relationship to support its internationalisation objectives

Partner Institutions Texas Partner Universities Rice University (Houston) University of Houston Houston Methodist Research Institute Baylor College of Medicine (Houston) University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston University of Texas at Austin Texas A&M University (Bryan- College Station) University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston

Outputs: Research  Joint conferences, workshops and research seminars  Research collaborations in Engineering, Medicine, English, Computer Science, Politics, Heritage Languages, Biological Sciences and Law  Developing research collaborations in Social Work, Physics, Gerontology, History, Classics, Geography and Psychology  Texas Fellowship for research in Arts & Humanities  Texas academics hold Distinguished and Honorary Professorships in Law, Engineering, English, Economics and Public Policy  Swansea’s Energy Safety Research Institute partnered with Texas energy institutions

Outputs: Student Mobility  Student exchanges with the University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M and the University of Houston  Reciprocal undergraduate and postgraduate internship exchanges in Politics and Government and Public Policy  Graduate-Entry Medicine electives in Texas  Dedicated BAFTx Scholarships available for Swansea students  Erasmus+ funding awarded for student exchange with Texas

Outputs: Teaching and Staff Mobility  Joint PhD in Engineering / Medicine  Joint Master’s programmes planned in Medicine, Engineering, English and Law  Guest lectures and shared modules  External examiners and representation on thesis panels  Sharing of best practice for new programme development  Staff mobility for teaching visits, supported by dedicated Erasmus+ funds secured for Texas  Texas Collaboration Funding Awards for staff mobility to develop teaching, research and student mobility

Outputs: Knowledge Transfer Events  Texas Research Excellence Showcase October 2014: Programme of guest lectures delivered by Swansea academics to faculty, students, practitioners and stakeholders in Houston, Austin and College Station  University of Houston Swansea Showcase June 2015: Programme of guest lectures delivered to academics and students in Swansea by UH faculty  Seminar on energy delivered to Welsh Government Policy Advisors and Assembly Members by delegation from Swansea and Texas

Grenoble Partnership- History  2013: Swansea University formalised existing links with Université Joseph Fourier (UJF) in Grenoble, creating a new institution-wide Strategic Partnership  Originally focusing on Medicine and Engineering, scope now includes other areas  Merger of UJF with two other Grenoble universities to create Université Grenoble-Alpes allowing for cooperation across most areas  Activity should be broad and deep but also focused on leveraging funding e.g. Horizon 2020

Outputs  Sharing of research ideas in symposia involving Medicine, Science, Engineering and Humanities & Social Sciences  Joint research initiative in Computer Science securing a major grant  Developed common regulations for Joint PhDs  Piloted 4 doctoral programmes leading to double degrees  Working on developing joint Master's programmes  Exchange of students  Staff exchange policy including secondments (academic and administrative)

Looking Forward  Emerging partnership in China in development  Emerging network in Spain and Portugal, linked in particular to Horizon 2020  Consideration of other key strategic regions  International strategic partnerships as a key mechanism to achieve the University’s goals- worth the investment!