ABSTRACT

The withdrawal negotiations after the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the European Union (EU) have fuelled discussions concerning the expected repercussions on higher education and research in Europe and call for discussing Brexit against the backdrop of internationalisation and the role of the UK in the European higher education and research landscape. When analysing Brexit as a counter development to internationalisation efforts, the question arises as to how institutions in different EU countries deal with and adapt to the new situation that is susceptible to substantially changing the European higher education landscape. By taking Austria as an example and by comparing our findings with other European countries, we study the responses of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. To understand if and how Austrian HEIs prepared for Brexit, we conducted semi-structured expert interviews with representatives of International Relation Offices. Despite the awareness that Brexit might have negative consequences, the institutions mainly adopted a ‘wait-and-see’ attitude. The institutions justified this rather passive response by highlighting the uncertain outcome of the Brexit negotiations. However, they also showed a commitment to finding solutions and new strategies once the terms of the UK leave are set.

摘要

英国（UK）投票决定退出欧洲联盟（EU）之后的退出谈判，引发了关于欧洲高等教育和研究的预期影响的讨论，并呼吁在国际化背景下英国脱欧和英国在该国的作用下进行讨论。欧洲高等教育和研究领域。当分析英国退欧作为国际化努力的反面发展时，就会出现一个问题，即不同欧盟国家的机构如何应对和适应新形势，而新形势容易使欧洲高等教育格局发生重大变化。通过以奥地利为例，并将我们的发现与其他欧洲国家进行比较，我们研究了英国脱欧公投后高等教育机构（HEI）的反应。为了了解奥地利高校是否以及如何为英国脱欧做准备，我们与国际关系办公室的代表进行了半结构化的专家访谈。尽管意识到英国退欧可能会带来负面影响，但这些机构仍主要采取“拭目以待”的态度。这些机构通过强调英国退欧谈判的不确定结果证明了这种相当被动的反应是合理的。但是，他们还承诺一旦确定英国休假期限，就会寻求解决方案和新战略。这些机构通过强调英国退欧谈判的不确定结果证明了这种相当被动的反应是合理的。但是，他们还承诺一旦确定英国休假期限，就会寻求解决方案和新战略。这些机构通过强调英国退欧谈判的不确定结果证明了这种相当被动的反应是合理的。但是，他们还承诺一旦确定英国休假期限，就会寻求解决方案和新战略。