Celebrating excellence: Announcing the 2024 EAIE Award winners

The EAIE Awards are a highlight of the EAIE calendar. It is at this time that we celebrate excellence and give thanks to the organisations and individuals who have made concrete steps towards bettering the landscape of internationalisation in Europe and beyond. 

This year’s award winners join the ranks of over 80 individuals and organisations who have a proven track record of celebrating excellence. The EAIE Board and Awards Panel recognise the various contributions of this year’s nominees and congratulate them for their hard work that has bettered the landscape of international higher education.

Award for Excellence in Internationalisation 

Award winner: FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, Austria 

 

Known for its innovative, practice-oriented approach to education, FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences is the winner of the Award for excellence in internationalisation! This institution boasts an impressive focus on creating meaningful experiences for their student group, displaying a dedication towards a holistic approach to internationalisation. Previously, in 2022, FH JOANNEUM was highly commended for this award. Thus, they are a testament to the fact that excellence in internationalisation is a practice that must be nurtured. 

Are you attending the EAIE Conference in Toulouse? If so, don't miss FH JOANNEUM’s session, Internationalise Yourself! Tips and Tricks for a Global Mindset. 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.

 Highly commended: University of Aveiro, Portugal  

 

The University of Aveiro in Portugal has been highly commended by the Awards Panel, who noted the institution’s strong commitment to environmental sustainability and their focus on regional engagement as key areas of excellence alongside their ambitious and enthusiastic internationalisation strategy. 

Award for Vision and Leadership 

Simon Marginson, University of Oxford, United Kingdom 

 

The Award for Vision and leadership is awarded to Simon Marginson, Professor of Higher Education at the University of Oxford and Joint Editor-in-Chief of Higher Education. Marginson’s dedication to leadership within the sector is well-known. As the founder and leader of the ESRC Centre for Global Higher Education, his advocacy for higher education’s contributions to the public and common good are unmatched. His work has significantly elevated our collective understanding of the dynamics of higher education in today's world.  

I am deeply honoured to receive this award from the EAIE. I am surprised as well, given the many people doing great work in higher education to sustain open borders and fruitful cooperation. 

Award for Outstanding Contribution

This year, the Awards Panel and Board are pleased to award two exceptional individuals for their outstanding contribution to our Association and its’ membership. In no particular order, the winners are:  

Eva Haug, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands 

 

Eva Haug is one of the awardees for her outstanding contribution to the EAIE. Especially noteworthy is her involvement with global outreach through her championing of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL). She has been awarded for her generosity of expertise, engagement and contribution to the EAIE. Eva works as Educational Advisor for Internationalisation of the Curriculum and COIL in the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences and has volunteered her expertise across the EAIE including as a key member of the Internationalisation at Home Expert Community, and has authored multiple blogs and two editions of Pathways to Practice.

Esko Koponen, University of Helsinki, Finland   

 

Another volunteer to be awarded for their outstanding contribution to the EAIE is Esko Koponen. Esko, who is Specialist in the Strategic Services for Teaching of the University of Helsinki, has been a member of the Conference Programme Committee since 2020, Esko’s contributions to the Association are manifold. His dedication to improving the quality and richness of our content and training offering, as well as his generosity throughout his long career and his willingness to share his wealth of knowledge renders him as a worthy recipient of this award.  

EAIE President's Award

Vanessa Debiais-Sainton, the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, Belgium

 

Vanessa Debiais-Sainton receives the President's Award in recognition of her outstanding and important work on EU policies and actions on higher education, and more specifically on the European Universities Initiative.  She heads the Unit in charge of European higher Education policies and programme at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, which is a key stakeholder in the development of the European Education Area's higher education dimension, including the European Strategy for Universities presented in January 2022. 

 Winning the EAIE President's Award celebrates Europe's higher education sector, poised for deeper cooperation to lead the digital and green transition.

Hats off to this year's award winners

Congratulations to the 2024 award winners. It’s an honour for the EAIE to be able to highlight and reward the individuals and organisations that do so much for our community. Thanks also to those who took the time to nominate. It’s our membership’s commitment to community engagement that makes the EAIE such a special Association. We look forward to honouring this year’s winners further during the EAIE Conference and Exhibition in Toulouse later this year.