Internationalisation, Brexit, and the EU academic system: a case study in Austria

ABSTRACT The withdrawal negotiations after the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the European Union (EU) have fuelled discussions concerning the expected repercussions on higher education and research in Europe and call for discussing Brexit against the backdrop of internationalisation and the role of the UK in the European higher education and research landscape. When analysing Brexit as a counter development to internationalisation efforts, the question arises as to how institutions in different EU countries deal with and adapt to the new situation that is susceptible to substantially changing the European higher education landscape. By taking Austria as an example and by comparing our findings with other European countries, we study the responses of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. To understand if and how Austrian HEIs prepared for Brexit, we conducted semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of International Relation Offices. Despite the awareness that Brexit might have negative consequences, the institutions mainly adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude. The institutions justified this rather passive response by highlighting the uncertain outcome of the Brexit negotiations. However, they also showed a commitment to finding solutions and new strategies once the terms of the UK leave are set.