The STRIVE project, “STRengthening Internationalization of Vietnamese Emerging universities”, aims at modernize the international cooperation of Vietnamese universities and at foster the collaboration and the networking between EU and Vietnamese higher education institutions by targeting mainly emerging universities in the country.
The project is expected to positively affect the beneficiary universities with an increased capacity and professionalism to work at international level by providing improved management competences and internationalization strategies and with an increased quality in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and follow-up of international projects.
In this regard, the project responds to the Ministerial plan for quality improvement in the higher education sector in Vietnam for the 2019– 2025 period which points out as one of the main principle and strategic direction the need to enhance internationalization.
Having the capacity building activities as its core, in particular the empowerment of university staff on Erasmus+ Programme opportunities exploitation, the project will set up the Internationalization Virtual Centre in Vietnam, representing an opportunity for enhancing the cooperation with EU stakeholders and sustain the engagement of Vietnamese higher education institutions in the internationalization process beyond project life.
In line with the overarching priority of the European Commission “Sustainable growth and jobs” for Asia, the enhancement of capacities in designing and implementing capacity-building projects at international level, as well as the fostering of Vietnamese students and academic staff mobility towards EU countries, foreseen in the framework of STRIVE project by apprehending EU best practices, will contribute to the upskilling of the young population in Asia, leading in the long term to economic growth and jobs.
The project responds to Erasmus+ CBHE Strand 1 objectives, since it is designed in order to attract less experienced higher education institutions in Vietnam and to facilitate access to Erasmus+ opportunities by newcomer universities, aiming at reducing the internationalization gap among higher education institutions in the country.
The initiative aims at enhancing the management and administrative capacity of the targeted higher education institutions in terms of strengthening their international relations officers by providing an increased capacity and professionalism to work at international level, an increased quality in the preparation, implementation, monitoring and follow-up of international projects, and by building capacities to support students and staff mobility activities.
STRIVE foresees the following specific objectives:
- to encourage the engagement of Vietnamese universities’ governance in sustain the internationalization of their institutions;
- to improve Vietnamese university staff knowledge on Erasmus+ programme opportunities in higher education sector;
- to strengthen Vietnamese university staff capabilities on project proposals’ technical and financial preparation, implementation and monitoring;
- to promote the Vietnamese ownership of KA2 CBHE projects by experimenting EU best practices;
- to strengthen the links between Vietnamese and EU universities in favour of staff and students mobility;
- to raise the awareness of Vietnamese students and additional staff on Erasmus+ programme in higher education sector opportunities.
