Strategic international research partnerships are an important component of an entrepreneurial HEI. These partnerships provide a means to enhance the reputation and brand of HEIs. Networks with other HEIs and other organisations offer a place where institutions can find and develop new opportunities, facilitate and foster research opportunities and the international mobility of students and staff.

International partnerships and networks typically function well when there is a strong linkage between practical interests and benefits of the daily research and the wider institutional aims of the partner organisations. Partnerships work best when they have clear objectives and criteria for HEIs and partner organisation to engage in collaboration.

Enhancing the organisational impact of participation in international research networks and partnerships requires attention on the following:

·         Identification of goals and added value with regard to how these could contribute to the overall strategic objectives and the entrepreneurial agenda;

·         Cyclical evaluation of the networks’ organisational structure and impacts;

·         The networks’ leadership is in line with the institution’s interests and at the same time facilitating on-going innovation;

·         Provision of sustained resources to serve/manage the networks, including language support needed for staff and students to participate in international partnerships and their activities; and

·         Dissemination of outputs throughout the institution.

The establishment of a central support service within the HEI can facilitate the development of international research networks and partnerships. This should be clearly linked with support structures for mobility, knowledge exchange and entrepreneurship. A core task of a support structure for internationalisation should be to enhance the international engagement in both teaching and research.