CONAHEC’s Collaboration Explorer Program (formerly “Mobility Incubator” Program) is an initiative which seeks to deepen inter-institutional relationships between our members and their international partners to through increased high-quality academic-area-specific interaction. The program’s goal is to produce opportunities for jointly administered projects, research, service learning and internships, in some cases with a mobility component, for students, faculty, and/or administrators. A key rationale for the creation of the program is the acute need to increase intra-regional collaboration within North America, where internationalization indicators indicate a relatively low priority placed by many institutions on collaboration with the North American region. CONAHEC assists participating institutions of higher education and guide you during the planning, hosting and evaluation phases of this visit.
Benefits
- Highlight your institution/region strengths.
- Showcase your campus and facilities.
- Increase knowledge about international collaboration opportunities with your institution.
- Create personal relationships with other North American institution representatives.
- Gain knowledge about mechanisms/funding opportunities that support international collaboration and mobility.
- Identify partners for and/or initiate and strengthen international collaboration activities
- Become an active participant in the North American higher education community.
What does CONAHEC contribute?
- Consultations with potential host regional higher education institutions/government
- Collaborative program design
- Website and content development
- Registration system development
- Access to our extensive network of contacts to attract attention to participating institutions
- Targeted publicity and advertisement identifying potential partners and attracting appropriate representatives
- Collecting and sharing information about participants with and from host institutions
- Post-visit evaluation and follow up
- Possibility of subsequent repeat visits
Commitment from Host Institutions/Agencies
- Host visitors on your campus for the period of time you agree with planning committee.
- Fund some or all of the expenses such as: CONAHEC staff coordination, visiting group transportation, accommodations, meals and entertainment.
- (It is recommended that accommodations also be paid for or subsidized by the host institutions to increase participation).
- Provide CONAHEC with necessary information about your institution and other participating agencies, institutional representatives, and the region in a timely manner.
- Include an opportunity for CONAHEC to present and participate in all formal program occasions.
- Include CONAHEC’s logo alongside those of participating institutions and organizations in all materials related to the visit.
- Facilitate meetings with those administrators, faculty and staff of your institution who would be interested in collaborating with visiting institutions and their representatives.
Organization Process
(It is recommended that you start planning at least 6 months before the visit).
- Contact CONAHEC.
- Get committed involvement from government agencies/consulates, seeking financial and logistical support where appropriate.
- Identify and contact higher education institutions in your region interested in collaborating to host a group of representatives of foreign institutions.
- Coordinate with CONAHEC to choose a date range and specify logistics.
- Identify a program leader at each participating institution
- Create a schedule of meetings for a planning committee with representatives of each institution and agency along with one or more CONAHEC representatives.
- Monitor registrant’s list and profile information to identify possible collaboration opportunities at participating host organizations
- Contact appropriate representatives of host organizations to coordinate their involvement in meetings with visitors.
- Host group of visitors and convene meetings with host organization representatives.
- Collect information about meeting outcomes and follow up priorities
- Administer program evaluation
- Consider subsequent visits