Abstract:
National mobility schemes can do more than move people—they can forge durable, mission-aligned partnerships that deepen research collaboration and social impact. Drawing on the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) portfolio—including Polish Returns, NAWA Scholarships, and the Research in Poland platform—this session unpacks how program design, co-funding models, and shared governance convert short-term exchanges into long-term institutional networks. Using recent case studies with Asia-Pacific and Global South universities, we will analyse the catalysts (joint supervision, seed grants, sandwich PhDs) that transform individual mobility into multi-layered cooperation and scalable joint projects. Participants will leave with an adaptable framework for embedding reciprocity, equity, and sustainability into their own mobility initiatives, thus advancing the APAIE 2026 theme of “Partnerships and Mobility” and contributing to the broader SDG agenda.

Learning objectives:
– Identify design principles that turn mobility programs into sustainable, multi-institutional partnerships
– Compare co-funding and governance models that foster reciprocity and capacity building
– Evaluate practical tools (e.g., joint supervision, seed-funded projects) that scale small exchanges into strategic networks
– Draft an action checklist for integrating equity and SDG alignment into mobility schemes

Target audience:
International officers, partnership managers, mobility coordinators, government agency representatives, and strategists focused on building equitable, SDG-aligned global networks through student and staff mobility.