The British Council Japan would like to send a delegation of 10 to 15 staff from Japanese universities to visit UK universities in November 2017. The Japanese participants will be accompanied by staff from the British Council Japan. We are now looking for approximately 4 UK universities who would like to be considered to host a visit. The deadline for submitting interest in hosting the delegation will be Monday 12 June 2017. 

Purpose of the mission

One of the key aims of the mission is to provide Japanese universities with the opportunity to develop a greater understanding of UK higher education institutions and strategies as well as practices for internationalisation. We hope to demonstrate the diversity of the UK higher education sector by visiting different types of universities. With government support to enhance the international profile of the Japanese university sector, the demand for new partnerships with UK institutions in terms of student and academic/non-academic exchanges as well as research collaborations has never been higher among Japanese universities. Japanese universities are also keen to learn from UK universities expertise on raising international profile through branding and reputation management. We also aim to facilitate networking which will lead to the development of new partnerships between universities in Japan and the UK through this programme.

Timing

We plan to hold the mission between Monday 13 and Thursday 16 November 2017. We hope to visit 4 institutions. At each institution, we would like to participate in a full day visit programme, starting at around 10:00 and finishing at around 16:00/17:00 (subject to discussion).

Please note that we may ask host institutions to arrange a half-day visit depending on the total number of institutions the delegation will visit.

Proposed schedule:

• Sunday 12 November – Arrival
• Monday 13 November – University visit
• Tuesday 14 November – University visit
• Wednesday 15 November – University visit
• Thursday 16 November  – University visit

Contents

We would like the host UK institutions to provide an overview of the topics below either in a briefing session or interactive workshop with relevant staff from the host institution as well as through visits to relevant facilities.

Below is the list of topics covered by host institutions in previous Inward Missions. In the application form, institutions will be asked to suggest which topics they would like to cover during the visit. Once an institution is selected, we will consult with them and provide recommendations on suitable topics. This will largely depend on the types of institutions and their unique strengths. 

• Development and implementation of corporate international strategy
• University branding, reputation management and PR
• Development and management of overseas partners: student exchange, credit transfer, double degrees/joint degrees
• Recruitment and support for international students: recruitment strategy, accommodation, learning support, and career support
• International research promotion and partnerships
• Initiatives to increase outbound mobility
• Campus tour
• Networking opportunities with staff interested in partnership building 
• Summer programmes
• Alumni networks
• Short presentations on their universities from the participating Japanese institutions   

Profiles of the delegates

We will start inviting applications from Japanese universities at the beginning of July. We will be able to inform you about the delegation profiles by the end of September when the application period closes.

The profiles of the delegates tends to vary. Some are non-academic staff keen to deepen their understanding of specific aspects of UK HE institutions, such as international student recruitment and support or university branding and reputation management. Others are academic/non-academic staff at middle to senior management level scoping potential partnerships. In general, Japanese institutions are keen to develop or deepen relationships with UK universities and the delegates represent institutions which have shown commitment to strengthening links with the UK.  

For your reference, the following universities have taken part in the Inward Mission to date. Those which participated in the last year’s mission are marked with*:

Akita International University, Chiba University, Chuo University, Doshisha University, Ehime University, Gifu University, Hitotsubashi University, Hokkaido University, Ibaraki University, Kansai University*, Kanto Gakuin University, Keio University*, Kobe University, Kōchi University, Kochi University of Technology, Kumamoto University*, Kyoto University*, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyushu University*, Meiji University, Mie University, Nagoya University*, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagasaki University, Okayama University, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology*, Osaka University, Osaka Prefecture University, Ritsumeikan University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, University of the Ryukyus, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Shinshu University, Tohoku University, Tokai University*, Tokyo Institute of Technology*, Tokyo University, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo University of Science, Tsukuba University, Waseda University, Yamaguchi University, University of Yamanashi, Yokohama National University

Language

English will be the main language and there will be no translation.

Costs

• We would like each host institution to provide lunch and refreshments for the delegation during the visit.
• We may also ask host institutions to provide transport for the group either by taxi or coach between the nearest train station/local accommodation and the campus.

Institutions which can offer on-campus accommodation with internet access will be preferred. The maximum cost per night is shown below. Accommodation costs will be covered by the delegates.

• Edinburgh  £90
• London  £150
• Elsewhere  £80

*Prices include breakfast and tax.

Selection methodology

We will select host institutions taking the following aspects into consideration:

1. Host institutions should be a general university offering a range of subject areas including arts, humanities and sciences.
2. Commitment to developing partnerships with Japanese universities.
3. Topics to be covered and relevance to the interests of Japanese universities. Institutions that can showcase strong corporate international strategy, recruitment and partnership development strategies as well as branding/reputation management case studies will be preferred.
4. Geographical location in relation to other host institutions.
5. Overall balance of the types of universities (teaching/research universities, strength in arts and humanities/science subjects).
6. Institutions which have not participated in this programme within the last three years will be given preference. However, institutions which have participated within the last three years will not be excluded from consideration.

How to apply

If you would like to be considered to host a visit, please complete the following on-line form (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/D98Y89G ) by Monday 12 June 2017. We will notify you of the results by the end of June.

Background  

In recent years, a series of Japanese government initiatives furthered the internationalisation of Japanese universities. The ‘Global 30’ project, which ran between 2009 and 2014, funded 13 top universities to act as “hubs” of internationalisation. Meanwhile, the ‘Go Global Japan’ initiative, which was launched in 2012 and is scheduled to run until 2016, provides grants to 42 universities with the multiple aims of overcoming the ‘inward-looking’ tendency of the Japanese, nurturing global talent, and internationalising university education.

Furthermore, a government initiative ‘Top Global University Project’ was launched in 2014 to enhance Japanese Universities’ global competitiveness. It aims to position 10 Japanese universities within the top 100 of the world university rankings within the next decade through building strong international partnerships for student and academic exchanges and research collaboration. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s education strategy , often dubbed “Abeducation”, aims to double inbound and outbound student mobility by 2020 (to 300,000 and 120,000 respectively). In order to reach this goal, the number of government scholarships for short term study abroad has grown significantly.

These initiatives resulted in a 49% increase in the number of Japanese university students studying in the UK as visiting and exchange students between 2010 (4,084) and 2014 (6,281) according to the latest official statistics published by the Japan Student Services Organisation.  International student enrolment in Japanese universities has also increased from 208,379 in 2015 to 239,287 in 2016 as the Japanese Government aims to host 300,000 international students per year by 2020.

As many universities in Japan still struggle to meet their targets for internationalisation, they are keen to strengthen or develop partnerships with overseas institutions in terms of student and staff mobility, joint teaching, and research collaboration. They also see staff development as key to successful internationalisation and profile raising. Over the past eight years the British Council in Japan has successfully organised a series of Inward Missions, providing opportunities for 122 staff representing 47 Japanese universities to learn about the internationalisation strategies and best practices of UK universities. The Inward Missions to date have resulted in the establishment of new partnerships between participating institutions.

Contact:

Ayako Towatari
Project Manager (Education)
British Council Japan
T +81 (0)3 3235 8043
F +81 (0)3 3235 8040
ayako.towatari@britishcouncil.or.jp

Mai Inui (nee Hashizume)
Projects Officer (Education)
British Council Japan
T +81 (0)3 3235 9393
F +81 (0)3 3235 8040
mai.inui@britishcouncil.or.jp

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