Why did you choose this institution?
I chose Matej Bel University (UMB) because the university hosts the EMERGE BRIDGES Summer Internship, in which students from INN, together with students from other partners in the EMERGE Alliance, took part in summer 2026. As the Internationalisation Coordinator at the Faculty of Teacher Education and Pedagogy at INN, I was involved in recruiting and supporting INN students who travelled abroad for the internship. It was therefore important for me to gain first-hand knowledge of how the internship is organised and delivered, meet our students during the programme, and gain a better understanding of the university’s collaboration with local community partners.
UMB was also particularly interesting because the university has further developed its internship model through an established partnership with Eastern Michigan University in the USA. This adds a global perspective to an activity that takes place within a European university alliance. I therefore wanted to learn more about how UMB combines European cooperation, global partnerships and local community engagement, and how this contributes to the quality of students’ learning.
The visit was also relevant in light of the fact that INN will host the Summer Internship in 2027. The mobility therefore provided an important opportunity both to support this year’s students and to gain experience that can be used in planning and further developing the internship at INN.
What have you learned and done during your stay?
The stay gave me valuable insight into how high-quality placements and internships can be developed through long-term, trust-based partnerships between universities, students and local community organisations. Through meetings with colleagues at UMB, Eastern Michigan University, the University of Limerick, local partners and students, I was able to see how the different stakeholders contribute together to creating a comprehensive learning environment.
One important lesson was the value of connecting the local, European and global perspectives. Students work directly with local issues and organisations while also becoming part of an international and intercultural learning community. This offers more than traditional mobility alone: students gain practical experience, intercultural competence, and the ability to understand issues from different educational, cultural and societal perspectives.
The stay also highlighted the importance of strong academic and organisational leadership. Transformative internships do not emerge simply by sending students on mobility programmes; they require deliberate planning and support, strong relationships with community partners, and a shared understanding of what students are expected to learn and how the activity can create value for both students and the local community.
I also gained a renewed appreciation of the importance of ensuring that a European university alliance does not become too inward-looking or exclusively European in its orientation. Global partnerships can provide different perspectives, experiences and ways of working that strengthen the quality of both education and community engagement.
Is there anything you would like to bring back to INN after your stay?
The visit demonstrated the importance of building the internship around strong and mutually beneficial partnerships with local community organisations, and that these organisations should not merely provide placements for students, but should be genuine partners in the learning process.
I would also like to carry forward the idea that EMERGE, despite being a European university alliance, should actively use global partnerships as a resource for strengthening the quality of education. The experience of the partnership between UMB and Eastern Michigan University demonstrates how existing international partnerships can be connected to the alliance’s activities and provide perspectives and expertise that would otherwise not be available.
For INN, I therefore see potential in exploring how our own established global partnerships and networks can contribute to Community Engagement activities and future internships. This could strengthen the intercultural dimension, students’ learning outcomes, and the connection between the university and wider society.
The most important lesson I am bringing back, however, is the understanding that quality in internationalisation is not primarily about the number of mobilities, but about the quality of the relationships and learning environments we build around them. Long-term partnerships, clear academic and organisational commitment, and a shared goal of creating value for students, universities and communities are essential if mobility is to generate lasting outcomes.