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Global Sustainable Engagement

Global Sustainable Engagement (GSE) is a self-evident and essential part of Lund University’s activities. It helps to create the conditions for societal development and innovation, and for education and research.

The global Covid-19 pandemic has changed how internationalisation is conducted, with changing patterns in student and staff mobility, such as the use of digital tools for education and meetings. However, sustainability issues were discussed before Covid-19, particularly concerning student and staff mobility. The discussion about sustainable internationalisation or global sustainable engagement also concerns social and economic aspects.

What does global sustainable engagement entail?

Global sustainable engagement at Lund University entails designing, implementing and evaluating inclusive, fair and environmentally-friendly internationalisation strategies and tools to fulfil the University’s vision, goals and strategies.

Environmental and social sustainability

Measures for environmentally sustainable engagement mainly involve a focus on the climate, particularly travel patterns, and the minimisation of travel based on fossil fuels, as well as reduced energy consumption. Measures for socially sustainable engagement primarily entail inclusive internationalisation and more specifically inclusion of disadvantaged groups regarding physical mobility and internationalisation at home.

Virtual opportunities

New digital forms of education are being continuously developed. Internationalisation at home creates intercultural experiences without travel, for example in the form of online studies at international universities and virtu­al international internships.

Examples of online courses:

  • One way for higher education institutions to collaborate digitally is in the form of COIL courses – Collaborative Online International Learning – which is a cross-border collaboration between HEIs in which students cooperate on a course for five to ten weeks.
  • The Universitas 21 network offers the online courses Global Citizen and Sustainable Micro-Internships, which have both become popular among students.
  • Developing opportunities for virtual mobility, for students as well as staff, is also an important focus in the EUGLOH collaboration, European University Alliance for Global Health.

Working group for sustainable internationalisation

A working group consisting of representatives from the faculties and External Relations has taken a closer look at how Lund University works on sustainable internationalisation.

The main points of the working group’s remit are to:

  1. define sustainable internationalisation at LU
  2. identify good examples of sustainable internationalisation through a mapping of activities at faculty and University level, and
  3. make recommendations concerning how we can strengthen sustainable internationalisation at LU.

The working group carried out its first two assignments in 2022. Its third assignment will be conducted in spring 2023. Thereafter, work on sustainable internationalisation will become an integrated part of the University’s work relating to Global Dynamic Engagement (GDE) and global responsible engagement.

Contact

Alice Kjellsson
International coordinator
+46 46 222 30 19
alice [dot] kjellsson [at] er [dot] lu [dot] se

The information on resources for global sustainable engagement is continuously updated and we are happy to receive suggestions for resources and relevant links.