An inquiry established by the Swedish government has set out an ambitious strategy for internationalising its higher education institutions.

The recommendations include a proposal for Sweden to?¡°create closer collaboration among Nordic higher education institutions and further develop an internationally competitive knowledge region in northern Europe¡±.

It also calls for the proportion of Swedish students spending time abroad to increase to at least 25 per cent by 2025; just 14 per cent of students graduating in?2016-17 had spent three months abroad, it says.?

Other proposed initiatives focus on?double and joint degrees; a more ¡°strategically managed¡± approach to the use of English in Swedish universities; and improving access for refugees and other recent arrivals.

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The series of recommendations, which have been put forward as a strategy that will run from 2020 to 2030, aim to help the country?¡°improve its capacity to receive foreign expertise and contribute to the collective knowledge of the world¡±.

According to the report from the inquiry on?increased internationalisation of higher education institutions,?Sweden receives slightly less than 1 per cent of the world¡¯s internationally mobile students and produces slightly more than 1 per cent of the world¡¯s research publications.

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Incoming student numbers had declined from 46,700 in the 2010-11 academic year to 35,900 in 2016-17, while international researcher mobility is lower in Sweden than in other strong research nations, it added.

matthew.reisz@timeshighereducation.com