"This multidisciplinary exchange programme examines how processes of regionalization and globalization are redefining the nature and scope of universities. A comparison between the regions of Europe and Australasia, especially New Zealand, will ask what is actually going on in apparently similar processes of university reform? Are process of creating a European Higher Education Area not only preparing Europe for global competition but also acting as a model and motor for globalisation in other regions?The programme has 6 Work Packages. WP 1-2 (‘methodologies’) will develop a new conceptual and theoretical framework to analyse the globalisation of higher education. WP 3-4 will compare how ‘coordination’ of HE operates across different regional spaces and how universities are being reshaped as knowledge organisations. WP 5-6 (‘impact’) will develop extended case studies to examine how these processes affect research practices and the mission of the university. The 4-year programme of exchanges will create enduring partnerships between three established research centres specialising on different aspects of university reform at Aarhus University in Denmark, Bristol University in the UK, and Auckland University in New Zealand - which signed its first STA with the EU in 2008.Each package combines senior and junior researchers in research training, sharing knowledge and research development. Each yields clear outputs: workshops to discuss results, website and working papers, and a book covering the scientific achievements. Knowledge generated will benefit policy makers concerned with building research capacity and understanding the challenges posed by the regionalization and globalization of tertiary education. Visits between the three universities’ research support staff will further assist the long term aim of developing joint projects and long-term collaboration, and will assist in promoting knowledge transfer between EU and Third Countries."