Internationalization of Research: Key Considerations and Concerns

The internationalization of research has increasingly become an area of focus for higher education institutions but has received less scholarly attention in the study of internationalization in higher education. Drawing on the literature, this article outlines a range of key considerations and concerns for the continued internationalization of research, first by documenting the various rationales for—and factors affecting—international research collaboration and then by examining how internationalization in research might be measured. The article documents a number of key challenges, and highlights that the internationalization of research is influenced by the complex intersection of factors relating to the individual faculty member, to their discipline, to their institution, and to a range of external factors, such as funding. The authors conclude by questioning the likely success of national and institutional strategies for greater internationalization of research, and by calling for more detailed empirical research in this area.