The International Network of Universities (INU) offers several prominent, annual global conferences for students and faculty from member institutions. Each year, JMU instructional faculty are invited to lead a session and attend the conference along with a handful of selected students. The JMU Center for Global Engagement hosts competitive processes for students and faculty to apply to represent the University and participate in these opportunities.

1. Intercultural Learning for Global Engagement (ILGE) Group & Conference
2. International Student Seminar: Hiroshima, Japan
3. International Student Conference: Bandung, Indonesia

INTERCULTURAL LEARNING FOR GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT (ILGE)

The ILGE Group is open to all instructional faculty and administrative leadership from INU member universities who have an interest in building intercultural competences for students and staff. Membership in the ILGE Group is an opportunity for JMU professionals to share best practices with partner institutions and collaborate on curricular internationalization. Members help organize the annual ILGE virtual conference, which provides a platform for INU members to make connections, learn best practices, and form the basis for future collaborations of intercultural and experiential learning.

Call for ILGE Group Membership Now Open: email GLP@jmu.edu for more information. Limit of 3 members per university. JMU faculty/staff who express interest will be considered for nomination to the ILGE Group.

As part of the INU’s 25th anniversary celebrations in 2023, the consortium organized a free online conference on Intercultural Learning for Global Engagement. The week-long conference in March 2023 showcased examples and expertise from INU member universities in the field of intercultural learning and global engagement.

International Student Seminar: HIROSHIMA, JAPAN

The International Student Seminar for Global Citizenship and Peace is an annual global immersion program offered at Hiroshima University in Hiroshima, Japan. The seminar, designed for students from INU member universities, is structured around the August 6 commemoration of the WWII atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Each year, the International Student Seminar addresses a different theme. For 2025, the theme of the seminar is Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation. This theme aligns with the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945.

This program includes lectures, case studies and small group discussions. The program also offers field trips to local attractions and cultural learning experiences, and culminates in a United Nations role play where groups of students represent different countries, and negotiate to pass a draft resolution.

Speakers will host workshops on topics such as:

• Global governance and institutions
• Peacebuilding and post-conflict reconciliation
• Political decision-making process
• Economic exploitation
• Nationalism
• Religion
• War crimes and international law
• Information policies
• Technology

JMU will select one faculty member to attend the conference and present a session based around the theme and the topics listed above. The selected faculty member will attend the conference along with selected JMU students. Faculty applications with workshop proposals are due in early February each year.

International Student Conference: BANDUNG, INDONESIA

Organized annually in Bandung, Indonesia by Universitas Katolik Parahyangan (Parahyangan Catholic University, "UNPAR"), a JMU partner institution and member of the INU, the International Student Conference brings together students from around the world for a global cross-cultural experience.

Faculty and student applications are closed.
Opportunities to apply for the 2026 seminar will be posted Fall 2025. 

The 2025 seminar was themed: "Innovating, Shaping, and Pioneering the Future of Learning: Empowering Youth Voices." As an INU member, JMU sent four students and two faculty members to participate in the conference. Each fall we will announce the next seminar theme, dates, and application processes for JMU students and faculty.

The INU Staff Knowledge Exchange Program supports internationalization of professional services and administrative staff at member institutions, such as JMU, by visiting or hosting professional and administrative staff for at another INU member institution for the purpose of discussing, learning, and benchmarking systems and best practices with peers. Staff Knowledge Exchange visitors will typically spend 3-5 business days at the host institution.

Apply online by May 31, 2025 if you would like to be considered for a Staff Knowledge Exchange visit during the 2025-2026 Academic Year. The CGE will select up to two (2) staff members to participate in outbound exchanges. The exact dates of the exchange will be determined according to host university schedules and the departmental needs of selected JMU staff.

Please do not apply directly through the INU website. There are a limited number of exchanges available, so applicants must apply first and be selected through their home institution before applying to the INU. Applications will be reviewed after the application deadline by an interdisciplinary committee of JMU faculty and staff.

• Summary of your key job responsibilities (1 page maximum)
• Statement of Intent: what you want to experience and learn
  • Describe how this experience will help internationalize the work of your office (e.g., better serve international students and scholars/faculty/staff, support global engagement on campus through your office). What is your plan to share the experiences and put into practice what you learned after you complete the visit?
    • Tip: Be sure to mention if you would be the first person from your office participating in a Staff Knowledge Exchange if selected. If others have participated, be sure to explain how your participation will uniquely further the internationalization of the work in your office.
• Signed letter of support from your supervisor
• Your CV or résumé

If selected for this professional development experience on behalf of JMU, you will be notified by JMU’s Center for Global Engagement (CGE) and will receive a copy of your responses to submit a similar application online to the INU's Staff Knowledge Exchange Program. Then, if your INU application is accepted, the CGE will work closely with you for planning, preparation, travel arrangements, and reporting.

Additional details about this program can be found on the INU website; remember to apply first through the JMU online application.

Consultation with CGE is welcome prior to applying. Email Global Learning & Partnerships at glp@jmu.edu. 

JMU faculty researchers and doctoral students (or equivalent) are invited to apply annually by the INU for the Researcher Mobility Program, an initiative designed to encourage the development of international research collaborations between INU members.

The INU’s Researcher Mobility Program provides the opportunity for early career researchers (who have completed their PhD within the past 5 years) to engage in research at another INU member university.  The purpose of this program is to develop joint research initiatives between two INU member universities, with a view to further expand to multilateral research collaborations with other INU member universities in future. Visits should be for 2-4 weeks and should form the basis for future collaboration between the two research centers.

There are 5 awards of up to $2,000 each year, which contributes towards travel and living costs to facilitate the visit.

Deadline for applications: Wednesday, March 26^th, 2025

Application instructions

Contact: INU@kingston.ac.uk

Website: https://www.inunis.net/staff/researcher-mobility/

Any JMU recipients of this award may also visit the CGE Global Initiative Grants page to explore other opportunities for potential supplemental support if needed.

The INU Seed Money Fund addresses the need for faculty/ professional services staff from INU member institutions to start a project of significance that will benefit the Network.  This open seed-funding call seeks creative ideas that support internationalization and global engagement within the INU and is open for any member of staff at an INU member institution to apply. Two rounds of funding are available: for new and expanding projects at two $3,000 awards for each.

For more information and consultation about how to best meet your interests through INU global opportunities for faculty and staff, please contact glp@jmu.edu.