Dr. Marina Cino Pagliarello will discuss her paper, which examines the European Universities Initiative (EUI) through the lens of higher education informal diplomacy, drawing on findings from the HEIDI project—Higher Education and Informal Diplomacy. Based on a comprehensive survey of 294 participants from 201 institutions across 52 alliances, the study provides a first-of-its-kind mapping of key players, objectives, activities, and challenges within these alliances. The findings underscore the central role of European university alliances in advancing internationalization strategies, particularly in teaching, research, and knowledge exchange. However, they also reveal significant challenges, such as limited funding, ethical concerns in managing international collaborations, and the complexities of balancing national and EU priorities.
The survey highlights critical dynamics, including the influence of institutional autonomy on international engagement, with national governments and EU bodies significantly shaping governance frameworks. Additionally, 10% of respondents noted the impact of other universities within their alliances on autonomy, while 20% emphasized the role of student organizations in decision-making processes, positioning students as key informal diplomats fostering intercultural dialogue through mobility programs. The data also reveal the global reach of EUI alliances, with over 60% engaged in international consortia beyond Europe, building connections with regions like Asia, North America, and South America. By focusing on EUI alliances, the paper advances the literature on transnational higher education and diplomacy studies. It defines informal diplomacy as trust-building, dialogue, and collaboration led by non-state actors, such as universities, emphasizing mutual learning and adaptability to address governance gaps and global challenges.
Dr Marina Cino Pagliarello is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, where she leads the HEIDI (Higher Education Informal Diplomacy) project. Her research interests include EU politics, public policy, and education policy, with a particular focus on how political and economic actors shape education policies and the role of ideas in restructuring actors’ interests. She is currently investigating the third mission of universities, examining their role in fostering collaboration, shaping governance, and influencing transnational policy agendas. Marina’s career bridges academia and policy practice. She has worked as an education policy researcher and specialist for national and international organizations and governments. She is also a Senior Research Associate at LSE Consulting, where she serves as a senior researcher and project director, contributing to higher education internationalization-focused projects for clients such as the European Commission, the UK Government, and the British Council. She holds a PhD in European Studies from the London School of Economics (LSE) and has held academic positions at LSE, UCL, Queen Mary University of London, and the University of Essex. In 2018-2019, she was an ESRC Post-Doctoral Fellow at the LSE European Institute.