Relational Internationalization in the Periphery: Attracting and Retaining International Talent Beyond “Brain Gain”
28th August 2026, 15:30–18:00
Vilnius University, Faculty of Philosophy, Room 207
Internationalization has long been promoted as a pathway to research excellence and global competitiveness (e.g., de Wit et al., 2015, Rose & Leišytė, 2016). In small and geographically peripheral higher education systems – such as Lithuania and comparable contexts – recruiting international academics is often framed as essential for addressing staff shortages, increasing research productivity, and strengthening global networks. Yet, while policy discourse celebrates “brain gain” and global talent attraction, retention remains fragile and underexplored.
This symposium examines the policy and institutional relevance of attracting and retaining international talent in small higher education systems operating under demographic decline, limited domestic talent pools, and intensifying global competition. We argue for a relational approach to internationalization, distinguishing yet interlinking managed internationalization (strategies, rankings, funding incentives, immigration frameworks) and lived internationalization (career precarity, identity negotiations, language barriers, family mobility, belonging). Rather than positioning these dimensions in opposition, we explore their ambivalent convergences: managerial strategies create opportunities for mobility and institutional reform, while simultaneously generating insecurity, short-term contracts, and uneven inclusion. The symposium addresses four key questions:
Policy frameworks and structural conditions. How do immigration regulations, funding models, and national higher education strategies shape long-term retention? How does reliance on fixed-term, project-based employment undermine stability in small systems?
Institutional practices and governance. How do universities balance global competitiveness with inclusive employment practices? What tensions arise between English-language research environments and local-language teaching or administration? How transparent and accessible are tenure and promotion pathways for non-nationals?
Lived experiences and academic agency. How do international academics navigate precarious career trajectories, gendered and racialized hierarchies, and “sticky” transnational family ties? In what ways do they reshape institutional internationalization agendas?
From talent import to sustainable academic communities. What retention policies foster long-term commitment, belonging, and institutional memory? How can peripheral systems move beyond extractive talent circulation toward reciprocal and socially responsible internationalization?
By connecting macro-level policy, meso-level institutional governance, and micro-level lived experience, this symposium reframes international academic mobility as a transformative and relational process. It offers evidence-based and practice-oriented insights for ministries, university leadership, and academic communities seeking to align global competitiveness with equity, sustainability, and long-term system resilience.
The symposium is organized by Futura Scientia and Vilnius University Education Policy Centre.