Illinois International News

Illinois International News is a collection of globally-focused blogs and stories from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Abebaw Yirga Adamu, a professor in higher education and the director of quality assurance at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, said he has connected with and engaged with more people than he initially anticipated during his tenure as a Global South Fellow. 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Illinois International are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025-2026 International Achievement Awards, which recognize outstanding alumni, faculty, and students whose exceptional work, service, and/or scholarship has made a significant, global impact. 

The University of Illinois System and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) have issued a joint call for proposals for a seed funding research program for the 2026–2027 academic year. The program will fund projects in four thematic areas: Food, Health, Water, and Energy. The overarching goal is to contribute towards solving problems related to poverty, the environment, and sustainable well-being.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been named one of five U.S. institutions to receive the 2026 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization, a national distinction recognizing excellence in embedding global engagement across teaching, research, and public engagement.

US-UK university partnership explores fresh opportunities in Education Access and Equity – including recruiting second cohort of Global South Fellows.

Students from around the world gathered online for the fifth annual Reimagine Our Future sustainability competition, an international initiative co-founded at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and now drawing growing participation through global partnerships.

One of two projects funded by the transdisciplinary grant program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is wrapping up an extensive and collaborative research, planning, and design process.  

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is once again a top destination for international students, according to data from this year’s Open Doors report. The report, released on Nov. 17 by the Institute of International Education (IIE), ranks Illinois second in the nation among public universities for the most international students.

Elsa Zawedde, a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Law, was one of the first individuals to receive a BRIDGE Global South Fellowship. In this two-part series, she explains how the fellowship helped her develop her research. She also dives into what she's working on and how, if implemented, it would change the way law schools develop future lawyers.

Elsa Zawedde, a doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's College of Law, was one of the first individuals to receive a BRIDGE Global South Fellowship. In this two-part series, she explains how the fellowship helped her develop her research. She also dives into what she's working on and how, if implemented, it would change the way law schools develop future lawyers. 

Two-day visit marks significant moment in strengthening the transatlantic partnership with Birmingham

The BiRmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, EnGagement and Education (BRIDGE) is continuing to gain global recognition after being selected to receive the 2025 Institute for International Education (IIE) Heiskell Award for Sustainability.

Taeghwan Hyeon, the recipient of the 2025 Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement, shared his experience and wisdom during the April 25 Sheth Distinguished Alumni Lecture. 

Taeghwan Hyeon a pioneering chemist and researcher in the field of nanoscience and the recipient of the 2025 Madhuri and Jagdish N. Sheth International Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement will deliver the 2025 Sheth Distinguished Alumni Lecture later this month at the Illini Union.

Prof. Reitumetse Obakeng Mabokela, the associate chancellor and vice provost for Global Affairs & Strategies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, became the first U.S. scholar appointed to the Management Policy Council at Kyushu University, one of Illinois’ strategic partners.

The University of Illinois System and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) have established a joint seed research grants program for one year, including the academic year 2025-2026. This program will fund projects in three thematic areas: Food and Health; Water; Energy. The overarching goal is to contribute towards solving problems related to Poverty, the Environment, and Sustainable well-being.

This is the second story in a series highlighting two projects funded by the Global South Community-Based Learning Programs grant. The first story detailing transdisciplinary approaches was published on November 11, 2024, and can be found on the Illinois International blog. This story is about "Place Making and Rural Tourism in China," which is a program comprised of three interdisciplinary courses— ARCH 572, ARTD 499, and RST 594/199. 

In collaboration with the University of Birmingham, the BRIDGE Seed Fund is now accepting proposals for the 2025-2026 academic year. Permanent faculty and research staff members at each institution may submit applications for funding.

The 2024 competition featured 14 teams (249 students total) from 11 institutions in the United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine, South Africa, China, Austria, Colombia, and Italy.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign extended its strategic partnership with Kyushu University by renewing the memorandum of understanding between the two institutions.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is once again a top destination for international students, according to data from this year’s Open Doors report. The report, released on Nov. 18 by the Institute of International Education (IIE), ranks the U. of I. second in the nation among public universities for the most international students.

The University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have jointly launched a Global South Fellowship. Taking inspiration from successful fellowship programs at both institutions, the Global South Fellowship will promote research collaboration and partnership development for early career researchers from countries within the Global South.

The University of Birmingham (United Kingdom) and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign announced a new $400,000 investment to expand collaborative research on global health, sustainability, and education access and equity in April 2024. Three projects have been selected to receive start-up funding: Accelerating Climate Action, Education Access and Equity: Empowering Education with the Global South, and the BRIDGE Global Health Institute. Led by multidisciplinary teams from both universities, these projects will begin in 2025 and work over two years to achieve their goals.

And as I stood there snapping a picture of the moment on my phone, it finally hit me. 

I was in England documenting two teams of innovators and trendsetters from two different universities who spent hours, days, months, and years maintaining and perfecting a one-of-a-kind, internationally respected, and globally centered partnership. 

I was awestruck. 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has awarded $156,000 in funding to two groundbreaking projects through its newly established Transdisciplinary Global South Community-Based Learning Program Grant. 

This initiative, which is part of the university's Vision 2030 Global Strategy, aims to promote innovative transdisciplinary education abroad experiences in the Global South.

The grant supports not only the implementation costs for the two projects, but also the deeper goal of encouraging faculty and students to collaborate directly with the communities their work impacts.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Huazhong University of Science & Technology (HUST) on Tuesday, Sept. 24.

The global sustainability crisis requires innovative solutions that promote human flourishing without compromising the natural systems upon which we depend. Through Reimagine Our Future, undergraduate students are challenged to develop an innovative plan or solution that addresses a particular sustainability problem or challenge and promotes one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Eight University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students and recent graduates were offered Fulbright grants to pursue international education, research and teaching experiences around the globe this coming year.

Elephant conservation is a major priority in southern Africa, but habitat loss and urbanization mean the far-ranging pachyderms are increasingly restricted to protected areas like game reserves. The risk? Contained populations could become genetically isolated over time, making elephants more vulnerable to disease and environmental change. 

A recent study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Pretoria in South Africa demonstrates how African conservation managers could create and optimize elephant movement corridors across a seven-country region. The study offers a map showing landscape connections that would support elephants’ habitat needs and allow for more gene flow among populations.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Birmingham are thrilled to announce the recipients of the Birmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, Engagement, and Education (BRIDGE) Seed Fund Grant for the 2024-2025 Academic Year. 

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Birmingham are tripling their investment in their partnership to develop new signature research collaborations.

Sophie Comer-Warner is an assistant professor of Aquatic Biogeochemistry and the current BRIDGE Fellow in Water Sciences from the University of Birmingham (UoB). 

BRIDGE is an acronym for the Birmingham-Illinois Partnership for Discovery, Engagement and Education. It’s the framework for the strategic partnership between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and UoB.  

The University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica (UWI), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) will cohost an online roundtable discussion with researchers from both institutions on March 20.

The University of Illinois System and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) have established a joint seed research grants program for one year, starting with the academic year 2024-25. This program will fund projects in three thematic areas: Food and Health; Water; Energy.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with National Taiwan University (NTU) and Kyushu University establishing what all three universities call a “Tri-Uni International Collaboration Center.”

This is the first story in a series highlighting the partnership between the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Birmingham in Birmingham, England that was formally established in 2014. These stories lead up to the 10-year anniversary celebration that will take place in April 2024 in Birmingham. 

The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) hosted a delegation from KFRI on January 22-23. Despite the freezing rain that affected many campus activities, the Office of International Programs facilitated a robust program for the six visitors that included meetings, tours, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ACES Dean Germán Bollero. 

The MOU will allow KFRI and Illinois researchers led by Professor of Food Chemistry Keith Cadwallader and Professor Yong-Su Jin, both in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN), to apply for funding from the government of South Korea for research projects.

Three representatives from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) traveled to Honduras in November to strengthen Illinois ties with Zamorano Pan-Agricultural School, one of the premier agricultural universities in Central America, and the research program at Alliance Bioversity and CIAT.

At Global Education and Training, we are proud to contribute to strengthening the University of Illinois’ strategic partnership with Zhejiang University (ZJU) (浙江大学). 

ZJU, a comprehensive research university, with its main campus in the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, is considered one of China's oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher education. Illinois has established multiple modes of cooperation with ZJU, from faculty research collaborations to student exchanges. Formal agreements supporting dual degree programs in multiple disciplines and a joint institute for engineering on ZJU's international campus in Haining highlight the innovative institutional strategic partnership between the two universities.