EAIE Award for Excellence in Internationalisation

We empower our community to continuously improve on and challenge the status quo in the field of internationalisation. This award celebrates higher education institutions that have developed and implemented creative responses to current and ongoing issues.

2023 Award winner: Newcastle University

This year’s winner is Newcastle University from the United Kingdom. They were awarded for their innovative ways of connecting internationalisation with sustainability and inclusivity. They have introduced greener and more sustainable forms of internationalisation by making Virtual Exchange a core part of its teaching and learning offer, and offering travel grants for mobility students who participate in physical mobility.  They have also developed original ways to use mobility as a springboard for building sustainable global partnerships, which saw students in 2021 participate in funded internships with the Ambassador of Barbados to the United Nations in Geneva and as a result, the university has been awarded additional research funding for Climate Change Education projects in Mauritius and Barbados. In 2021, they were awarded University of Sanctuary status in recognition of their long-standing commitment to offer educational, research and engagement opportunities to those fleeing violence and persecution.  

Eligibility criteria

• The institution is located in one of the member countries of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).   
• The institution’s activities embody, include and reflect the EAIE values: collaborative, inspiring, inclusive, excellence.  
• The institution’s activities have specific and significant outcomes, which are available and shared with other institutions.    
• The nominator is a member of the EAIE and employed by the nominated institution.  

We strive to celebrate excellence in the field and recognise institutional innovation, in areas such as:

• Access and support of students, staff and displaced communities 
• Greener and sustainable forms of internationalisation 

We will consider projects, initiatives, programmes or activities that promote responsible international higher education, show specialised outcomes with a demonstrable impact, and reflect the EAIE values of excellence, inclusivity, collaboration and inspiration.

Spotlight on your institution 

We want to share the winner's journey to success to inspire our European and global community. The winning institution will have the opportunity to share its success story and benefit from extensive recognition and exposure at the EAIE Conference and Exhibition. The winner will also benefit from:  

• Extensive visibility on all EAIE platforms
• Two fee waivers for the EAIE Annual Conference  
• Invitation to participate in a podcast, webcast or blog post
• An EAIE award to display in your home or office  

History of the award

This award combines the previous EAIE Institutional Award for Innovation and Internationalisation and the Bo Gregersen Award for Best Practice. Bo Gregersen was an exceptional driving force behind the development of best practices in the field of international higher education.