Congratulations to this year's EAIE Award winners, who have exemplified excellence through their outstanding achievements, leadership and generous contributions to the field of international higher education. Join us in celebrating these exceptional individuals and organisations.
FH JOANNEUM is a modern University of Applied Sciences in Styria, Austria, with campuses in Graz, Kapfenberg, and Bad Gleichenberg. Founded in 1995, it has grown to become one of Austria's leading universities, known for its innovative, practice-oriented education focusing on sustainability, innovation, and social responsibility. Home to 5,000 students from 80 countries, FH JOANNEUM offers bachelor's and master's programs in Applied Computer Sciences, Engineering, Management, Media & Design, Health, and Building, Energy & Society.
The university emphasises a strong connection between theoretical knowledge and practical application through internships, projects and close cooperation with industry partners. Its numerous research centres and projects address real-world challenges, driving technological and societal progress. For nearly 30 years, FH JOANNEUM has continuously expanded its international activities, becoming a leader in internationalisation, student and staff mobility, and international projects among Austrian universities of applied sciences. Its degree programmes are designed to meet global social and technological challenges, emphasizing key competencies and professional skills. Cultural diversity and international perspectives are integral to the university's educational model.
In 2018, FH JOANNEUM was listed as a ‘Place of Respect’ in Austria for its 'Refugees on the run - FH JOANNEUM helps' initiative, which supports people fleeing persecution and violence. Since 2023, FH JOANNEUM has been a member of the European University Alliance EU4DUAL and has received the Austrian Erasmus+ Award several times, most recently in 2023, for excellence in international cooperation and mobility.
FH JOANNEUM receives the 2024 EAIE Award for Excellence in Internationalisation for its holistic approach to internationalisation, which focused on their diverse student community and creating meaningful and impactful experiences through their innovative initiatives. Join FH JOANNEUM’s session, Internationalise Yourself! Tips and Tricks for a Global Mindset at this year's EAIE Conference in Toulouse. During this session, they will reveal some of the secrets behind their innovative approach to internationalisation. Join them on Thursday, 19 September, from 09:30 to 10:30 in the plenary hall.
Winning the EAIE Award for Excellence in Internationalisation highlights FH JOANNEUM's commitment to internationalisation and innovative education.
The University of Aveiro was founded in 1973 with the mission to create, transmit, and apply knowledge to positively transform society. With a simple and linear structure, without autonomous faculties, and benefiting from the interaction between the university and polytechnic subsystems, the University of Aveiro provides a rich and varied academic environment, which allows for the extraction of potential from disciplinary diversity and the integration of knowledge.
Since its founding, internationalisation and the relationship with the region and companies have been high priorities. As part of the ECIU University, it is designing and exploring innovative solutions to meet the qualification needs that are already present and that will shape the future, both in initial and lifelong training.
The University is aware of the challenges and demands of a rapidly changing world, including the need for quality teaching, a diversified training offer aligned with the needs of the varied publics that converge on higher education today, and flexible and agile training models. There is a need for a model of teaching, research, and innovation without barriers, centred on the crossing and sharing of knowledge.
The University of Aveiro is highly commended in the Excellence in Internationalisation category in 2024 for its ambitious and enthusiastic strategy, focusing on regional engagement and intrinsic motivation for internationalisation.
Simon Marginson is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford and Joint Editor-in-Chief of Higher Education. He is also an Honorary Professor at Tsinghua University in China, a Professorial Associate of the University of Melbourne, a Fellow of the British Academy, the Academy of Social Sciences in UK and of the Society for Research into Higher Education, and a member of Academia Europaea. He formerly worked at Monash and Melbourne universities in Australia and at UCL Institute of Education in London, and from 2015-2024 was Director of the ESRC Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE).
In 2014 Simon was the Clark Kerr Lecturer on Higher Education at the University of California, Berkeley, and received the Research Achievement Award at the US Association for the Study of Higher Education. He has advisory functions at Peking University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (the Academic Ranking of World Universities), the University of Tokyo, Lingnan University in Hong Kong, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the National University of Chile. Simon’s scholarship is widely published and cited (Google h-index 85). His research is focused primarily on global, international and comparative higher education, global science, higher education in East Asia, and the contributions of higher education to public and common good, including social equality.
Simon receives the 2024 EAIE Award for Vision and Leadership for his exceptional contributions and leadership in fostering global dialogue on a wide range of issues in the field of international higher education (IHE), as well as his decade-long leadership in founding and leading the ESRC Centre for Global Higher Education.
I am deeply honoured to receive this award. I am also surprised, because there are many people doing really great work in higher education in sustaining open borders and fruitful cooperation. In today's challenging times, our shared commitment to collaborative learning and knowledge building, on the basis of equality of respect and unity in diversity, is more important than ever!
Eva Haug is an Educational Advisor for Internationalisation of the Curriculum and COIL in the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS), the Netherlands.
Eva has a Master's degree in Spanish Literature and Culture from the University of Amsterdam and did a Postgraduate in Higher Education. She's worked in higher education since 1992. As the Coordinator of Internationalisation, she specialises in internationalising the curriculum and campus experience of the students at AUAS. As COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) coordinator, she provides entire cohorts the possibility of experiencing international teamwork by pairing Amsterdam students with students from around the globe. Lecturers and students collaborate, at a distance, on real-life challenges. She has presented on COIL at conferences in Brazil, South Africa and the US, as well as at the Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition, and universities regularly invite her to train staff in intercultural and online collaboration.
Eva received the 2024 EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in recognition of her generosity in sharing her expertise in the field of COIL, her active engagement, and her valuable contributions to the EAIE community. Since 2024, Eva has been a member of the EAIE Thematic Committee Teaching, learning and curriculum.
Esko Koponen is Specialist in the Strategic Services for Teaching of the University of Helsinki. His responsibilities include the strategic planning and management of international education, language policy and joint educational programmes. Esko has over 30 years of experience in international education, having previously worked in the Centre for International Mobility with European cooperation programs and international higher education cooperation, and in international student services at the University of Kuopio. Esko has run several sessions and workshops on various aspects of internationalisation both in national and international contexts. Esko holds a MA degree in Translation Studies from the University of Joensuu (now part of the University of Eastern Finland), Finland. He has been a Steering group member of the EAIE Expert Community Study Abroad and Foreign Student Advisers and has chaired and presented at numerous workshops of the Association, including the EAIE Academy. In 2020, Esko became a member of the EAIE Conference Programme Committee.
Esko receives the 2024 EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in recognition of his longstanding contributions and the generous sharing of his knowledge throughout his career and involvement with the EAIE community.
Receiving this award was made possible by the exceptional education and learning I've received throughout my career, alongside outstanding peers, in an outstanding association. I would like to thank the EAIE for the award, as the Association has been very important to me in my professional life.
Vanessa Debiais-Sainton is Head of the Unit in charge of European higher education policies and programmes at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture. She leads the European Education Area's higher education initiatives, including the European Strategy for Universities. Her responsibilities encompass the creation and implementation of key flagship initiatives such as the ‘European Universities’ alliances involving more than 560 higher education institutions, a European degree, and the European student card initiative. She has spearheaded numerous higher education advancements, introducing a European approach to micro-credentials, a European quality assurance and recognition system, automatic recognition of qualifications, graduate tracking, and attractive and sustainable careers in higher education. Her unit supports these policies by managing the higher education strand of Erasmus+, facilitating exchanges for approximately 400,000 students and staff annually.
Previously, Vanessa contributed to DG Research and Innovation, where she designed, negotiated, and launched the European Industrial Doctorate. Prior to joining the European Commission in 2006, Vanessa had an illustrious career as a chemical engineer with eight years of innovation in the chemical industry. With 26 years of experience spanning the knowledge triangle's three components, she brings a wealth of leadership and expertise to her role.
Vanessa receives the 2024 President's Award from Piet Van Hove in recognition of her outstanding and important work on EU policies and actions on higher education in general, and more specifically on the European Universities Initiative.
Winning the EAIE President's Award celebrates Europe's higher education sector, poised for deeper cooperation to lead the digital and green transition.
I am deeply honoured to receive this award. In today's challenging times, our commitment to collaborative learning and unity in diversity is crucial.
Winning the EAIE Award for Excellence in Internationalisation highlights FH JOANNEUM's commitment to internationalisation and innovative education.
Receiving this award was made possible by the exceptional education and learning I've received throughout my career, alongside outstanding peers, in an outstanding association.
Winning the EAIE President's Award celebrates Europe's higher education sector, poised for deeper cooperation to lead the digital and green transition.
I am profoundly thankful for this recognition, as it highlights the impact of curriculum internationalisation and COIL. I am proud to be part of this transformative journey.
Celebrating creativity and impactful initiatives, this award recognises higher education institutions that have implemented creative solutions to new and ongoing challenges, helping to reshape international education.
This award recognises inspiring individuals or organisations for their remarkable achievements in developing strategies that create new ways of thinking and opportunities in the field of international education.
The EAIE is a community of dedicated and inspiring colleagues who deserve recognition. This award acknowledges individuals who have made a significant or notable contribution to the Association’s work in recent years.
Take a look at the questions per award and start preparing your nominations. EAIE members can nominate for all three awards.
Complete the nomination form online, inform your nominee of their nomination and submit your entry before the deadline.
The EAIE Awards Panel evaluates the nominations and recommends the winners to the EAIE Board for final confirmation.
The winners are announced on the EAIE Blog, social media channels and honoured at the next EAIE Conference and Exhibition.
The Awards Panel is dedicated to celebrating outstanding contributions in the field by carefully reviewing, evaluating, and selecting the winning nominees for the three EAIE Awards. The Panel consists of seven EAIE volunteers.
Edyta is the Director of Internationalisation Strategy at the University of Economics in Katowice, Poland. She has been engaged in diverse activities related to the internationalisation of higher education institutions within various positions for the past 20 years. She has coordinated and participated in many international projects involving higher education institutions and employers. She has also co-founded and is a board member of the Silesian Universities Network (SUN).
Since 2018, Edyta has cooperated with the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) as an expert and consultant. She has been involved with the EAIE since 2002, received the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2015, and is currently a member of the EAIE Board.
Ceren Genc is the Team Leader for International Student Admissions at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. For over a decade, Ceren held positions as an admissions officer at a prominent university and as an academic partnership coordinator. Over the years, she has built up a strong international network and gained expertise in different aspects of internationalisation of higher education. She has delivered several sessions and workshops on admissions and on recognition for refugees. Her professional interest lies in informal and non-formal learning recognition, as well as formal learning recognition. She has been awarded the EAIE Rising Star Award in 2016.
Since 2024, Ceren has been a member of the EAIE Thematic Committee Social responsibility.
Diederich is Professor of applied sciences in international business and Head of Internationalisation at Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands. With a PhD in marketing and over 15 years of experience working in higher education, he has a thorough knowledge of the marketing and recruitment landscape of global higher education. He actively shares this knowledge with the EAIE community and since 2020 is part of the Conference Programme Committee.
Joanne Pagèze is Vice-President for Internationalisation at the University of Bordeaux, and university lecturer at the Department of Languages and Cultures. She has worked in university language education for over 25 years and has a research interest in the internationalisation of the curriculum and education for global engagement. She has wide experience in teacher development having set up an award-winning programme at the University of Bordeaux (national PEPS prize 2017) and participated in EQUiiP (an E+ Strategic Partnership). Her current position covers all aspects of internationalisation but she still enjoys working alongside lecturers in the classroom. Assistant-editor of the European Journal of Language Policy, she is a board member of RANACLES affiliated to CERCLES. She holds a research Master's degree from Ecole Normale Supérieur de Cachan/ University Bordeaux Segalen and another Master’s degree from St Catharine's College, University of Cambridge.
Joanne has been involved with the EAIE in different roles and since 2024, she has been a member of the EAIE Board.
Nadia D’Alton joined University College in Dublin (UCD) in 2002 and currently holds the position of Director of Strategic Programmes. Her expertise resides with supporting Education and Programmes and student experience with a strong focus on embedding UN Sustainable Development Goals in curricula and developing initiatives across the University in this area. Nadia is also a member of the Universitas 21 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) strategic group, whose purpose is to develop an educational strategy for SDG training and education for health professional trainees, and is currently Chairing a U21 group Community of Practice on sustainability.
Educated in France, Nadia holds a Business Degree, along with a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management and a Masters in Human Resources and Management, Nadia is currently a member of the EAIE Professional Development Committee.
European programmes and policies, public management, international programmes.
Ragnhild Solvi Berg is Senior Advisor at HK-DIR/Norwegian Contact Office for Research, Innovation and Education (Norcore) in Brussels. Ragnhild has worked in the field of internationalisation of higher education since 2004. She started her journey at the Norwegian Centre for Internationalisation of Higher Education (SIU, now HK-DIR). From 2010 to 2016 she was seconded to the European Commission as a national expert, working on higher education cooperation outside of Europe. Since 2016, she is representing HK-DIR at the Norcore office in Brussels. In 2019, she became co-chair for the IGLO working group for higher education in Brussels and is serving on the Administrative Council of Academic Cooperation Association from 2016-2021. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Bergen, in addition to degrees in Cultural Studies and Spanish and Latin-American Studies.
In 2021, she became a member of the EAIE Publications Committee.
Stephanie is an intercultural consultant/trainer at her own intercultural consultancy for higher education institutions, which focuses on the internationalisation of students. She recently retired from the position of Associate Director for Counselling and Mental Health Support at King’s College London, UK, after having worked in the field of psychological counselling for over 30 years. Stephanie has developed an outreach and training programme to enable home and international students, academics and frontline administrative staff to be trained in the psychological pressures they may encounter. She embarked on a study trip to Fudan and Shanghai Jiao Tong Universities, China, in 2015 to understand the presentation and treatment of mental health issues among students in China. She has since been invited to speak at several conferences in China organised through Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute. Stephanie studied English and Education at Goldsmiths University, UK; Psychology at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK; Guidance and Counselling at Reading University, UK and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. She received the King’s College Principal’s Award in 2018, recognising an individual who has ‘gone above and beyond to champion the goals of the university and has delivered outstanding service as a King’s Ambassador’.
She has been a trainer at the EAIE Academy for the past five years and was one of the keynote speakers at the AACSB on the topic of ‘avoiding virtual burnout: maintaining engagement, motivation and mental health in students, staff and faculty’.
Stephanie received the EAIE Award for Outstanding Contribution in 2022 in recognition of her important contributions to supporting international education by ensuring that the students and staff within our institutions can thrive. Since 2024, Stephanie has been a member of the EAIE Thematic Committee Student and alumni services.
If you haven't found the answer to your question, please contact the EAIE Office.
Only EAIE members can nominate individuals or institutions for the awards. If your institution has achieved something remarkable or you want to nominate an inspirational leader, consider taking out membership. Once you're a member, there are no additional fees to submit a nomination.
EAIE members can nominate for all three awards if they choose.
Nominees for the Vision and Leadership Award do not need to be an EAIE member. However, nominees for the Outstanding Contribution Award must be a current EAIE member. For the Excellence in Internationalisation Award, the nominator should be employed at the institution that they are nominating.
The nomination questions for each award can be found on the respective award page. Prepare your nomination by crafting detailed responses to each question, providing tangible examples and evidence to support your nomination. Ensure that you adhere to the maximum word count per question and submit your nomination before the deadline. Only EAIE members are eligible to submit nominations. If you have a strong nomination but are not a member, consider joining the EAIE or asking a colleague who is a member to submit the nomination on your behalf.
Nominations for the 2024 EAIE Awards were open from 05–29 April. Nominations for the 2025 Awards will open early next year.
After you've submitted a nomination, you'll receive a confirmation email. The EAIE Awards Panel reviews nominations and presents their selections to the EAIE Board for evaluation.
