Political influence and foreign interference

Definition: “(…) political influence and interference in [Higher Education and Research], (…) refers to attempts by a foreign actor to influence the perceptions of staff, scholars and students at [Higher Education and Research] institutions with the aim of aligning research, education and the international academic debate with the strategic visions, opinions, interests or political system of a foreign actor, which are not supported by the receiving side and or are contrary to the receiving side’s norms and values” (d’Hooghe and Lammertink 2020).

Some countries are devoting tremendous efforts to make their voice heard on the global scene, especially regarding the pertinence of their political system and values. They have developed numerous soft power tools to support those outreach policies, including in the academic field.

Specific attention must be paid to ensure that partnerships are not overly dependent on foreign resources – and hence liable to undue pressure if people’s salaries or research funding depends on this.

Another important aspect linked to foreign funding is that students who receive grants from a foreign government might be asked to accept, while working abroad, to abide by local University rules.

Finally, some institutions might be more involved in implementing governmental policies than others: do not hesitate to investigate on the partner institution’s links with the government.

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