THUAS in Glasgow at the EAIE Conference

Together, they explored how international higher education is responding to rapid technological, geopolitical and societal change. With more than 240 sessions and activities, topics ranged from AI and student mobility to European cooperation, leadership, academic freedom and the future of internationalisation. (EAIE)

THUAS did not come to Glasgow simply to listen and learn. Our colleagues also made an active contribution to the EAIE programme, sharing research, expertise and practical experience across a remarkably broad range of internationalisation topics.

From activities to impact

One question kept coming back throughout the conference: not just “What are we doing?”, but “What difference does it make?” As Simone Hackett noted afterwards: “People don’t just want to know what we are doing in internationalisation, but also what value we are adding, whether it works and what impact it has.”

This highlights that our next step is not necessarily about increasing international activity, but about making it clearer how internationalisation contributes to student education, educational quality, research, regional talent and societal impact. How can we create the organisational conditions that enable us to achieve our ambitions?

Putting people first

Despite all the discussions about strategy, AI and institutional transformation, colleagues repeatedly returned to something refreshingly simple: internationalisation is about people.

Nienke Aans perhaps captured the atmosphere in Glasgow best: _“It is encouraging to see that so many people are passionate about international education.”_ And that passion matters. At a time of geopolitical uncertainty, technological change and ongoing discussions about internationalisation in the Netherlands, the conversations in Glasgow once again highlighted why international cooperation remains important to The Hague University of Applied Sciences: not as an end in itself, but as a way to strengthen our education and research and prepare our students for an increasingly interconnected world. This is precisely the direction set out in our internationalisation policy.

Would you like to know more? Visit the EAIE Glasgow 2026 conference page.

Many thanks to all colleagues for their contributions: Nienke Aans, Marloes Ambragts-van Rooijen, Sabine Amft, Jos Beelen, Marleen Berkhout, Claudia Bulnes, Eveke de Louw, Pieter de Vos, Gwendell Foendoe Aubel, Daniella Gutierrez Martinez, Berber Hartman, Laurian Hollander, Michiel Hopman, Reinout Klamer, Angélique Le Guillou, Andrew Pearce, Wil Pruijssers, Refiya Scheltinga, Juraj Trouw, Sophia Tseng, Joey Uijleman Anthonijs, Jacqueline van Marle, Casper Verschoor and Noor Verwoerd.