Higher-education institutions are driven to develop their international capacities not only to internationalise the institutional culture but also to engage in forward-thinking activities, increase revenue and diversify. In some cases, countries see foreign providers as a mechanism for improving the quality of existing institutions, whether formally through partnership arrangements, or informally by modelling world-class practices, or by introducing competition into the local market.

This report explores the phenomenon of unique cross-border partnerships between universities in different countries that are challenging the traditional definitions of a higher education partnership. A case study looking at collaborations in Kazakhstan as a disruptive model for other higher education collaborations will be presented.