The university won the award, sponsored by IDP Education, in part, for having “the most innovative internationalisation policy” of all shortlisted institutions, which included Cardiff Metropolitan University and University of Edinburgh.

“Birmingham has developed a distinct engagement strategy with Brazil that has helped to position us as a UK partner of choice with government, HEIs and industry”

“We were delighted to receive the THELMA award for outstanding international strategy for our work in Brazil,” Director of International Development Andrea Edwards told The PIE News.

“Over the past four years Birmingham has developed a distinct engagement strategy with Brazil that has helped to position us as a UK partner of choice with government, HEIs and industry across Brazil.”

Explaining the university’s portals for Brazilian recruitment, Peter Clack, Director of International Relations said that Birmingham has been able to award the University of Birmingham Brazil Scholarship with  Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Science without Borders scholarships.

“Crucially it is the way in which my Brazil team has built a community of interest right across the university that has allowed things to move forward so quickly and so it is only fitting that they have been recognised in this way,” he commented.

Birmingham has also worked with an agent to support postgraduate and undergraduate applicants, though its overall Brazilian cohort is dominated by postgraduate research students, which make up around 75% of all Brazilian students at the university.

Overall there are almost 5,000 international students from more than 150 countries at the University of Birmingham and around 31% of academic staff are from overseas as well.

As well as Brazil, the university has identified China, India and North America as its key strategic regions in which it will develop a more focused engagement in the future.