Exploring the new trends and new facets of higher education and research has assumed added significance in the globalized world of the twenty-first century. Since the strength of today’s economies is increasingly based on how well they can harness knowledge and expertise, the role of the higher education system has become crucial in international competition. It is this system that determines an economy’s capacity to adapt swiftly to new situations, new markets and new technologies: countries with the least competitive higher education systems incur more substantial costs than others in our globalized world.

 Globalization is exerting a deeper impact on higher education and research than ever before. Industry and services have been off-shoring into emerging countries at a fast pace, highlighting the crucial role of technological sophistication and, more generally speaking, the importance of the knowledge economy in international competition.

 In today’s digital era, many academic institutions have gradually connected with one another to build global networks. This situation stems from the technological revolution in communications, developments in science, as well as the very nature of knowledge, which now operates via accumulation and paradigm shifts.

 Three major trends are shaping education and research at a worldwide level:

Increase in international mobility in tertiary education, which is giving rise to new modes of competition within higher education and research;