Vice-Chancellor's Internationalisation Council 8th of June 2026

Summary

The Meet & Greet initiative was reviewed, covering two spring events and planned autumn collaborations with Luleå Municipality and Teknikens Hus. The Council recommended clearer value propositions, better audience segmentation, coordinated scheduling, reminder emails, and avoiding penalties for no-shows. Interactive workshops on “Swedish culture and practicalities” will address both practical matters (taxes, healthcare, pensions) and cultural norms. Erasmus+ KA131 mobility outside the EU was presented: exchanges must include 5–10 programme days, offer per diem support, and require an Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA); the application deadline in MoveOn is 15 September. The HRS4R evaluation visit is scheduled for 3rd of November. The Council also discussed the CSC-funded visiting scholar policy; the current RSR ban remains in place, and the discussion will continue at the August meeting.

Key topics

• Meet & Greet events: Sofi (HR) reported strong interest but a high no-show rate. The Council recommended clearer value propositions, segmented formats (e.g., families vs. adults/partners; PhD students, postdocs, and new staff), proactive reminder and cancellation workflows with waitlists, coordination with local meetups and schools, consent-based photo recaps to create “FOMO”, and light networking activities such as quizzes. HR will trial these measures during the autumn and review their impact at year-end.
• Swedish culture and practicalities workshops: Katja and Maria will co-design 2–3 interactive workshops per year for international staff. The sessions will focus on practical aspects of life in Sweden, including tax returns, healthcare, public authorities, and pensions, as well as navigating cultural norms. Workshops will include Q&A sessions and scenario-based discussions. Input will be gathered from PhD students to ensure relevance. The aim is to reduce barriers to integration and increase participation by emphasising immediate practical value.
• Erasmus+ mobility outside the EU (KA131): Kristina (IO) presented the autumn call (deadline: 15 September) for staff and teacher exchanges to Japan, Canada, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, and the UK. Eligible exchanges must include a minimum of five and a maximum of ten programme days. Teaching mobilities require eight teaching hours (or four hours if combined with training). Research trips as the primary purpose are not eligible. Funding consists of a distance-based travel grant and a daily allowance of €190, including weekends and travel days. An Inter-Institutional Agreement (IIA) is required, and priority will be given to first-time applicants. Approximately 32 places are available, including around 25 for staff. Guidance materials and presentation slides will be published this week. Questions regarding transparency in the selection process will be addressed at the September Council meeting.
• International student recruitment resourcing: A proposal has been submitted to add three FTEs and increase the recruitment budget to scale outreach efforts. The proposed strategy shifts the near-term focus to approximately 70% EU and 30% non-EU recruitment while continuing to build long-term brand awareness in non-EU markets. Sensitivities around marketing activities directed at partner universities were noted. A decision is pending as part of VSS’s annual planning process.
• HRS4R evaluation visit planning: The EU evaluation visit is scheduled for 3 November. HR will organise mixed discussion groups comprising PhD students, postdocs, and junior and senior faculty members to provide candid feedback on recruitment, ethics, open science, and working conditions. The Council will assist in identifying participants once the required numbers/types of participants have been confirmed. The objective is to ensure open, honest, and transparent input.
• Policy on CSC-funded visiting scholars: The Council initiated a discussion on whether to maintain the current RSR blanket ban or move towards case-by-case risk assessments for short-term CSC-funded visiting scholars. Considerations included research security and export-control requirements, industry sensitivities, EU restrictions, practices at peer institutions (e.g., KTH's case-by-case approach), administrative complexity, and reputational risk. No policy changes were proposed at this stage of the discussion. The current ban remains in effect, and the issue will be revisited in August following further discussion.