In the latest of a series of trips and visits, the University of Northampton (UON) is answering the Government’s call to grow the number of education opportunities delivered with partners abroad by strengthening ties with one of the leading higher education institutions in Colombo.
In January this year the Government announced its ambition to grow the value of education exports to £40 billion a year by 2030, backing UK Universities to deliver education overseas in new and expanding markets.
During her visit to the Sri Lankan capital this month, Becky Bradshaw, UON Deputy Vice Chancellor and COO had the opportunity to meet with the British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick alongside UNISTEM’s CEO Gihan Talgodapitiya and COO and Wathsala Nanayakkara.
Together they reinforced the importance of educational partnerships that connect people, institutions and countries, and the role they play in opening doors for learners and communities.
Becky thanked her hosts for their shared commitment to making education a force for opportunity and added: “It’s been a real privilege to spend time with our long-standing partners at UNISTEM Sri Lanka exploring how UON can deepen and evolve our collaboration in ways that create shared impact.
“Strong international partnerships don’t stand still – they grow over time through trust, curiosity and a willingness to think differently together.
“I left Sri Lanka inspired by the ambition, warmth and professionalism of our colleagues, and excited about what the next chapter of this partnership could look like.”
The trip to Sri Lanka follows a visit to India and Singapore by senior UON leaders in December 2025, and a visit from representatives of the Raffles College of Higher Education (CHE) in Singapore when they signed a memorandum of cooperation at the UON Waterside Campus in October which will see more students enrolled on UK programmes.
Currently UON has 18 transnational education partnerships with institutions around the globe, find out more on UON TNE page.