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.
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.
I am deeply honoured to receive this award. In today's challenging times, our commitment to collaborative learning and unity in diversity is crucial.
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.
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 six EAIE volunteers.
Caspar de Bok is Head of International Affairs at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. His main tasks are strategic advice and policy concerning internationalisation (in education, research, support and international relations management) and implementing the Faculty Work Programme for Internationalisation. He is Chair of the Internationalisation team and Coordinator for the Diversity Programme at the Faculty. Caspar oversees and coordinates various internationalisation initiatives and advises the Board of the Faculty on strategies to improve its internationalisation ambition in its broader sense, both internally and externally. He worked for 10 years as a Senior Policy Adviser, Internationalisation at Utrecht University Corporate Offices in the Netherlands. Caspar has a great deal of experience in international networking in higher education at various levels, including as Utrecht University’s Senior Officer in The League of European Research Universities (LERU), as Secretariat of Utrecht Network and as a Coordinator of various EC-funded projects. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Biology from Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Since 2024, Caspar has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
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.
Claire is the Director of Recruitment, Admissions, Marketing and Partnerships at the College of Medicine and Dentistry in the UK, which is validated by Ulster University, UK. She is also a Non-Executive Director for Independent Higher Education, a body representing 100 small and specialist private HE providers in the UK. Claire was recently elected to join the General Council of EAIE. Claire has a wealth of experience in international HE, specialising in internationalisation of the student lifecycle, embedding intercultural learning, visa and immigration management, and academic and commercial partnership development.
Since 2024, Claire has been a member of the EAIE General Council.
Having worked in universities for over 20 years, Géraldine Dufour is a leading expert in matters related to university wellbeing and mental health and Vice-Chair of the Mental Wellbeing in Higher Education Expert Group (MWBHE) at Advance HE. She is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Essex, UK and works directly with individuals and organisations across the sector, facilitating training, consultancy, coaching and supervision. Géraldine has wide-ranging experience and an interest in international education, including being Head of Counselling at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the National Executive Committees for Student Mental Health and Counselling and founding member of national research groups in student mental health. As a former French Erasmus student working and collaborating internationally, with a visiting professorship at Fudan University, Géraldine is interested in cross-cultural work, differences, and diversity.
Since 2024, Geraldine has been a member of the EAIE Thematic Committee Student and alumni services and is the Chair.
Neil Weston is Associate Dean (Global Engagement and Education Partnerships) at the University of Portsmouth. Neil is responsible for managing existing and developing new, UK and global education partnerships for the Faculty of Science and Health. He also leads on implementing the Faculty’s global engagement strategy, overseeing international student recruitment, promoting a culture of globalisation, enabling student mobility opportunities, and supporting international student progression, achievement and experience. Prior to his current role, Neil was Associate Dean (Academic) responsible for the quality assurance of all courses across the seven academic schools in the Faculty. Neil has a degree from the University of Glasgow and an MSc and PhD from the University of Chichester. 'He is also a principal lecturer in sport psychology and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE.
As of 2022, Neil volunteers as a Professional Development Committee member at the EAIE.
Global Lessons, Personal Growth: Diligence from China, Entrepreneurial Spirit from Hong Kong, Creativity from America, Flexibility from Belgium, Responsible Leadership from Germany.
Queenie Lam founded Y-Europe in 2022 and has a two-decade-long career in the higher education sector in Asia and Europe. Her roles at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Trier University, Academic Cooperation Association and European Commission involved recruiting (international) faculty/staff members, developing academic cooperation partnerships, developing EU research projects, evaluating Erasmus+ grants and providing independent expert advice to EU institutions, national agencies and universities on mobility-related issues. With a double doctoral degree in sociology and economics from Ghent University in Belgium and Kassel University in Germany, Queenie's research focuses on global higher education systems, governance, marketization, internationalization and, recently, the history of student mobility.
Her publications on EU policies and programmes, strategic mobility market analyses, and services in leading professional-academic networks like the EAIE and ENIS showcase her contributions in bridging research, policies and practices in international academic cooperation. Queenie has been an EAIE Publications Committee member since September 2022.
Rachel is the Director of Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement for UK and Europe at the global education company, IDP Connect. This roles works across all UK and Europe Clients to support with international recruitment and marketing. Prior to this role, Rachel was Director of International Recruitment, Partnerships and Mobility at the University of York in the UK. She joined the University having previously headed up the Recruitment and International office at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Rachel's remit is international recruitment, partnerships and student mobility. Prior to Strathclyde, she spent seven years with Navitas, where she worked in roles in both Edinburgh and Melbourne. Before choosing the path of international recruitment, Rachel worked in advertising, PR and alumni relations in Edinburgh.
She earned a BA in Journalism at Edinburgh Napier University and a PG Diploma from Queen Margaret University. She is currently enrolled in an MBA programme at the University of Strathclyde.
In 2020, Rachel became a member of the Conference Programme Committee.
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 a membership. Once you’re a member, there are no additional fees for submitting a nomination.
EAIE members can nominate for all three awards if they choose. Nominations for the 2025 awards are now closed. Winners will be announced ahead of the EAIE Conference.
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 2025 EAIE Awards are now closed. Nominations are open at the start of each year until mid-April. Winners are announced in August, leading up to the Annual EAIE Conference and Exhibition.
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.
