Activation of International Cooperation of Higher Education Institutions in the Conditions of Globalization and Crisis Challenges
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58423/2786-6742/2025-10-119-132Keywords:
international projects in crisis conditions, international cooperation of higher education institutions, transnationalization, resource provision of international activities, innovations, scientific researchAbstract
The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the economic essence of international cooperation in the field of higher education, conceptualized as a strategic tool for transforming the educational environment in response to contemporary global challenges. It has been established that the international engagement of higher education institutions (HEIs) serves not only as a key factor in strengthening economic ties between states but also as a catalyst for deeper integration into the global educational area. From the perspective of globalization processes, the study examines the transformation of HEI functions driven by the increasing interdependence of national education systems. The findings demonstrate that globalization facilitates the intensification of academic mobility, the development of joint educational programs and research projects, integration into international rankings, and active participation in global educational platforms. This, in turn, shapes a new model of economic interaction in which HEIs become full-fledged participants in the transformation of the international educational market. Special attention is devoted to identifying the main globalization factors influencing the international cooperation of HEIs and to analyzing methodological approaches to its assessment. The research substantiates the importance of adopting a cyclical assessment framework, which not only records the current state of international activity but also tracks emerging trends, evaluates the effectiveness of previous management decisions, and enables the timely adaptation of strategies to changes in the global educational environment. The phasing of the cyclical process of assessing the international activities of higher education institutions, which is consistent with the provisions of the European Standards and Recommendations for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ESG) is proposed. A systematic and resource-oriented assessment approach is proposed, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative indicators, emphasizing the importance of resource provision for international activities, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of partnerships. The results of the study can be applied to improve internationalization strategies of Ukrainian HEIs, enhance their competitiveness, and strengthen their positions within the global education area, thus providing a foundation for informed policy-making and strategic institutional development.
References
1. de Wit, H. (2020). Internationalization of higher education: The need for a more ethical and qualitative approach. Journal of International Students, 10(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i1.1893
2. Caliskan, O., Oldac, Y. I. (2025). Internationalization of higher education: Science mapping the knowledge base (1929–2022). Journal of Studies in International Education, 29(4), 539–563. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153241307969
3. Jiang, L. (2022). Research on the necessity, challenge and focus of internationalization of higher education. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 10, 180–190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2022.102012
4. Dewey, J. (2021). International student mobility. EBSCO Research Starters. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/anthropology/international-student-mobility
5. Mills, D. (2022). Academic mobility in higher education. In UNESCO, WHEC2022 background document, theme 05 (38 p.). UNESCO. URL: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000389878
6. Prabowo, H., Bandur, A. (2021). Digital transformation in higher education: Global trends and future research direction. Journal of Innovation in Business and Economics, 5(02). DOI: https://doi.org/10.22219/jibe.v5i02.21218
7. Shields, R., Lee, J. T. (2023). Academic mobility: Global trends and future prospects. In R. J. Tierney, F. Rizvi, K. Ercikan, & J. Beech (Eds.), International encyclopedia of education, vol. 1, 230–238. Elsevier. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-818630-5.01072-1
8. Shysholin, A. P. (n.d.). Upravlinnia mizhnarodnym transferom znan u zakladakh vyshchoi osvity [Management of international knowledge transfer in higher education institutions] (Doctoral dissertation). Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. URL: https://ela.kpi.ua/server/api/core/bitstreams/1759a28f-ca53-4ed9-9d9b-d8c5c23f3fee/content
9. Melnychenko, A., Pohrebniak, A., Kostiunik, O., Shchepina, T., Derevianko, D. (2025). Circular economy in the higher education system. Pacific Business Review International, 17(8). URL: https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/circular-economy-higher-education-system/docview/3183025122/se-2
10. Obolenska, T., Tsyrkun, O. (2016). Kontseptualni pidkhody do mizhnarodnoho spivrobitnytstva mizh vyshchymy navchalnymy zakladamy. Internatsionalizatsiia vyshchoi osvity [Conceptual approaches to international cooperation between higher education institutions. Internationalization of higher education]. International Economic Policy, 2(25). URL: http://iepjournal.com/journals/25/2016_3_Obolenska_Tsyrkun.pdf
11. Oleshko, A., Rovnyagin, A. (2020). Modern tendencies in international educational emigration from Ukraine. Investytsiyi: praktyka ta dosvid, 3, 21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32702/2306-6814.2020.3.21
12. Riabets, N., Tymkiv, I. (2019). Globalization of educational services market: Regional peculiarities and Ukraine’s integration challenges. Galic'kij ekonomičnij visnik, 61(6), 141–154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33108/galicianvisnyk_tntu2019.06.141
13. Liashenko, O. I. (2020). Innovatsiina stratehiia modernizatsii vyshchoi osvity Ukrainy [Innovative strategy for modernization of higher education in Ukraine]. Institute of Pedagogy of NAES of Ukraine.
14. Nychkalo, N. H. (2021). Profesiina osvita i pedahohika: vyklyky ta perspektyvy [Professional education and pedagogy: Challenges and prospects]. Profesijna Pedahohika, 21, 12–18.
15. Ivanenko, N. (2024). Two years of twinning: Challenges in Ukrainian higher education. Universities UK International. URL: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/universities-uk-international/insights-and-publications/uuki-blog/two-years-twinning-challenges-ukrainian
16. Suchikova, Y., Danko, Y. (2025). Ukrainian universities in new realities: Strategies for preserving academic potential during the war. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 23(2-si), 1–6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.23(2-si).2025.01
17. Dovgopolova, O. (2025). Ukrainian universities in a time of war: A historian’s reflections. Academe. American Association of University Professors. URL: https://www.aaup.org/academe/issues/winter-2025/ukrainian-universities-time-war
18. Bobro, N. (2025). Fraktalnyi pidkhid yak metod stratehichnoho rehuliuvannia osvitno-ekonomichnoi ekosystemy tsyfrovoho universytetu [Fractal approach as a method of strategic regulation of the educational-economic ecosystem of a digital university]. Acta Academiae Beregsasiensis. Economics, 9, 13–23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58423/2786-6742/2025-9-13-23
19. European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. (2015). Standards and guidelines for quality assurance in the European higher education area (ESG). URL: https://enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf
20. Université de Bourgogne. (2022). Virtual mobility handbook. URL: https://ube.fr/wp-content/uploads/GUID_virtual_mobility_alliance_forthem_2022_02_09-1.pdf
21. 4EU+ Alliance. (n.d.). 4EU+ responses to the war in Ukraine. URL: https://4euplus.eu/4EU-325.html
22. European Commission. (n.d.). International cooperation with Ukraine in research and innovation. Research and Innovation. URL: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/europe-world/international-cooperation/association-horizon-europe/ukraine_en
23. Ponomarenko, Y. A. (2025). Aktyvizatsiia mizhnarodnoho spivrobitnytstva zakladiv vyshchoi osvity v umovakh hlobalizatsii [Enhancing international cooperation of higher education institutions in the context of globalization] (Bachelor’s thesis). Kyiv. URL: https://ela.kpi.ua/handle/123456789/75251
24. UNESCO. (2023). Global education monitoring report 2023: Technology in education – A tool on whose terms? UNESCO. URL: https://www.unesco.org
25. European University Association. (2022). Internationalisation of higher education: A European perspective. URL: https://www.eua.eu
26. OECD. (2023). Education at a glance 2023: OECD indicators. OECD Publishing. URL: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/education-at-a-glance-2023_e13bef63-en.html
27. Lean Enterprise Institute. (n.d.). Plan, do, check, act (PDCA) — A resource guide. URL: https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/pdca/
28. Voitko, S. V., Hlushchenko, Y. I., Korohodova, O. O., Moiseienko, T. Ye., Chernenko, N. O. (2023). Realizatsiia osvitnikh biznes-proektiv v Industrii 4.0 shliakhom vprovadzhennia novykh form navchannia [Implementation of educational business projects in Industry 4.0 through new forms of learning]. In V. V. Khrapkina & K. V. Pichyk (Eds.), Novi kompetentsii dlia Industrii 5.0 ta upravlinnia danymy dlia zakladiv vyshchoi osvity, 6–11. National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
29. Voitko, S. V., Hlushchenko, Y. I., Korohodova, O. O., Chernenko, N. O. (2024, October 18). Rol mizhnarodnykh proektiv u pidvyshchenni yakosti osvitnikh prohram [The role of international projects in improving the quality of educational programs]. Modernizatsiia vyshchoi osvity ta zabezpechennia yakosti osvitnoi diialnosti v umovakh yevropeiskoi intehratsii, 278–281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13970808
30. Ponomarenko, Y. A., Korohodova, O. O. (2023). Spivrobitnytstvo zakladiv vyshchoi osvity z orhanizatsiiamy pryvatnoho sektoru v ramkakh yevrointehratsiinykh protsesiv v Ukraini [Cooperation of higher education institutions with private sector organizations in the framework of European integration processes in Ukraine]. In U. B. Berezhnytska, T. M. Yatsyshyn, & T. M. Panevnyk (Eds.), Adaptatsiia do hlobalnykh zmin ta vyklykiv, 295–298. Ivano-Frankivsk National Technical University of Oil and Gas.
31. Ponomarenko, Y. A., Veremiichuk, H. M., Konovalova, N. S., Korohodova, O. O. (2025). Tsyfrovizatsiia yak spilnyi vektor mizhnarodnoho spivrobitnytstva zakladiv vyshchoi osvity aliansu ATHENA [Digitalization as a common vector of international cooperation of higher education institutions of the ATHENA alliance]. In Tsyfrova ekonomika, 938–942. Kyiv National Economic University. URL: https://ir.kneu.edu.ua/handle/2010/51574
32. Bondar-Pidhurska, O., Glebova, A., Yudicheva, O., Konovalova, N. S. (2024). Driving forces of success for sustainable entrepreneurship: Ukraine’s experience. In New trends in contemporary economics, business and management. Proceedings of the 14th International Scientific Conference “Business and Management 2024”, 353–361. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3846/bm.2024.1278
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Olena Korohodova, Yuliia Ponomarenko, Nadiia Konovalova
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC License.
