Small Is Beautiful – How a Young University Can Successfully Establish University Partnerships – The Case of FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences

This chapter provides an example of how a young higher education institution, with only 20 years of existence and around 4,000 students, located in a small town in central Europe, has established and has been maintaining high profile networks and international collaborations with universities and industry. This case focuses on one particular department within the university, the “Institute of International Management,” which has spearheaded this development over the past decade. The initiative originated on the departmental level and subsequently produced spillover effects for the entire university.

Despite budgetary constraints and a locational disadvantage compared to universities in large urban agglomerations of developed countries, a broadly based international mobility alongside intense collaboration in research has been achieved. This has been reached through an integrated strategic approach combining specific teaching activities (study abroad, project classes, joint degrees, quality assurance, massive open online courses, and more), R&D, networks as well as motivated and qualified staff.

This case illustrates how universities from developed countries in Europe, the United States, Australia, parts of Asia, and Latin America, irrespective of size, brand name, location, and financial endowments, are able to internationalize and build sustainable partnerships to the benefit of students, faculty, and a wider group of stakeholders.