Global engagement and partnerships

Our international role is intrinsically linked to Liverpool, contributing to the city region’s international profile, boosting its economy and creating meaningful connections between the region, alumni and partners worldwide. The connection between our local and international roles also extends into our research in disciplines. In infectious diseases, where our understanding of some of the world’s greatest challenges, together with our longstanding partnerships with National Health Service (NHS) and government organisations within and beyond our city region, enabled the University to play an influential role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and in establishing Liverpool’s globally-connected Pandemic Institute.

Our priorities include expanding our range of strategic partnerships with other world-class institutions in academia, business, and the public sector, while extending the scope and impact of the valued partnerships we already have in place. We will embed a global mindset across the University, establishing and supporting new aspirations for international engagement, and further internationalising our curriculum, student experience and graduate employability. And our student body will become more globally diverse, with an education programme and student recruitment tailored to a wider range of countries and regions.

Develop and invest in a range of strategic partnerships focused on increasing the global impact and reputation of our research and education

We will:  

• Leverage the University’s key assets, including our outstanding academic strengths and sector-leading research facilities such as the Digital Innovation Facility, Materials Innovation Factory and Pandemic Institute, as the foundation for strategic partnerships with other world class institutions to deliver globally impactful research in areas that address global and societal challenges
• Engage with business and public organisations in the Liverpool city region and in selected countries to jointly forge global cross-sector partnerships. By doing so we will work to establish new networks that are distinctive, such as with other maritime cities, that leverage common strengths and address similar challenges and priorities
• Develop existing and new transnational education partnerships through novel arrangements to educate students beyond our existing campuses
• Catalyse our strategic partnerships with infrastructure, investment and effective mechanisms, such as dual PhDs, fellowships, faculty mobility and early career research opportunities
• Harness our new and existing partnerships, including with industry and other sectors, to extend the global impact of our research and civic role, and enhance our global reputation.

Build an outward looking, globally connected community across staff, students and alumni, that shares our aspiration for positive worldwide impact

We will:

• Develop Faculty, Institute and School level partnerships and networks that enhance our global footprint for research, impact and reputation, that provide opportunities for early career researchers and for talent mobility
• Promote our research and global engagement both on the world stage and on our campuses, raising the profile of our research, areas of distinctive leadership and international outlook, including by leveraging distinctive assets such as Liverpool University Press
• Enhance the global nature of our student experience through an internationalised and inclusive curriculum
• Engage with our influential alumni and stakeholder organisations to build our global reputation through advocacy, philanthropy and volunteering.

Extend our global footprint for staff and student recruitment through the diversification of geographies we target, the products we offer and the markets we engage

We will:

• Reduce single-country dependency by building new international partnerships in priority regions including North America, Europe, Asia and South East Asia, while further developing our valued existing partnerships including those with Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University and the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Programme
• Develop new strategies and recruitment marketing mechanisms to attract an increasingly diverse intake of international students.