‘Gib University looks to Africa for partnerships’

The Times Higher Education supplement reported the University of Gibraltar was looking to Africa for partnerships. Its vice-chancellor Daniella Tilbury told the Times the university’s ideal geographical location “affords options in Europe and beyond”.

Professor Tilbury said the university had received a lot of interest from Asia, [but] it felt right for it to start brokering partnerships in Africa – “because of our proximity, because of our history and intercultural connections”.

She explained that the university’s “offer isn’t [solely] for local students”, and Gibraltar’s aim is to build on its strategic position – as a British overseas territory situated between Europe and Africa – to solidify its position in the international higher education sector.

Because of this, she said, she was less worried about the effects of Brexit than a UK university vice-chancellor might be, although she shared the universal concerns about access to research funding.

“Africa has got the fastest-growing demographic in terms of potential students in HE. We have Spanish, French and English [people] as common practice in Gibraltar, and obviously all of that will facilitate a lot of the international brokering,” she added.