Introduction: France, Europe and a Developing Global Agenda

While universities in the UK have long nurtured international collaborations, the last decade or so has seen a sharp change in the nature of these engagements. The majority of leading institutions now have a specific international strategy that seeks to foster research connections with other institutions, recruit undergraduate and postgraduate students for study in the UK and, in a growing number of cases, deliver courses overseas. Relations with European countries, including France – the focus of the present volume – have had prominence since the 1970s, when the UK joined what is now the European Union (EU), and have a particular character because of it, but must also increasingly be seen in the context of an individual university's global strategy. This chapter uses the experience of Queen Mary, University of London, to show the way in which a major institution's links with France may be seen within this wider context. It also uses the experience of the development of the University of London Institute in Paris – and its recent closer links with two of the federal Colleges, Queen Mary and Royal Holloway – to show how delivery of programmes in France matches wider institutional research and teaching priorities.

The development of integrated international strategies for universities has become a growing priority as the UK has increasingly turned to the global student market for extra revenue, both by bringing students to the UK and by offering qualifications overseas. The UK has performed particularly well on the world stage in this respect, though an emphasis on high-fee recruitment from outside the EU is now being replaced by a more subtle strategy of wider engagement. As Becker et al. argue, ‘UK universities need to build mutually beneficial relationships in all areas of internationalization – beyond the apparent bottom line of international student recruitment’. There is considerable evidence that this is now happening after the rather heady growth of student numbers over the last 10–15 years. Though engagement with Europe has not generally flagged in absolute terms during this period, reassessment of strategy nevertheless allows the opportunity of re-emphasising its importance.