The CASI project

The starting point is that changes in the world around us have made international academic collaboration more complex.

Factors that have contributed to increased complexity are:

• geopolitical changes,
• security policy conflicts,
• decline of democracy, and
• reduced scope for academic freedom.

Institutions of higher education need a solid basis to manage changes and to make strategic decisions regarding international collaborations. Risk assessment needs to be strengthened, exit strategies designed and security awareness increased.

By exchanging knowledge and experience, using each other's competences, and coordinating external monitoring and analysis, the idea is that CASI can streamline and ensure the quality of international work. The idea is also to create a better opportunity for rapid information sharing and analysis in the acute stages of events.

What does CASI do?

Since 2020, the CASI project has developed a framework with a checklist to identify various challenges and risks in connection with international collaborations. Expertise and existing processes have been mapped, benchmarking in relation to other countries and universities has been carried out, and workshops around various case studies have been designed.

The CASI project has also conducted webinars in 2022 open to all higher education institutions in Sweden, one on prerequisites for academic cooperation with Russia and one on cooperation with East Africa.

During the spring semester 2023, CASI plans to conduct the following webinars for Swedish universities

• Challenges in research cooperation with China – 24 March at 10:00. The webinar will be held in Swedish.
  Link to more information and registration

• Workshop on how a good risk analysis should be carried out – 23 May at 9:00-11:00

More information about each webinar will be disseminated in good time on the website and through the colleges and universities' network for strategic internationalisation (UNSI/HÖNSI).