As a €500,000 fund to encourage more partnership between third-level staff is announced by the Government today, representatives of English-language colleges have been touring China to try and boost numbers coming here to study.

Education Minister Richard Bruton and Mary Mitchell O’Connor, Minister of State for Higher Education, said the International Academic Mobility Programme would allow between 100 and 150 academics from universities, institutes of technology, and other colleges a chance to collaborate with strategic partner institutions around the world.

The Higher Education Authority will invite proposals to access the fund from teaching, technical, management, and administrative staff, with a view to awarding supports by the end of the year.

It could be used, for example, to allow prospective international research funding applicants meet with collaborators in another country; or to facilitate direct meetings and discussions on developing student exchange programmes, innovative ways of teaching or improving student supports.

Ms Mitchell O’Connor said the programme is the latest in a number of strategic actions driven by the Department of Education, in conjunction with the international education sector, to implement elements of the Government’s strategy on international education.

“It follows on from the implementation of a trebling of the number of Government of Ireland scholarships for international students, the introduction of greater supports by Government to assist with the diversification of international education markets,” she said.

The minister of state said it also further supports the higher education sector as it prepares for the challenges and opportunities of Brexit.

Mr Bruton said working closely with international institutions is key to the sector’s success, especially in light of global challenges and uncertainties facing the country, including the departure of the UK from the EU.

One of the opportunities that may arise from Brexit is the potential to attract more students wishing to learn English in a country where it is in everyday use.

Education in Ireland, managed by Enterprise Ireland, is supporting the three-city trade mission to China by a group representing 66 regulated language schools and colleges.

Although numbers coming here to study from China jumped from 495 to 1,148 between 2014 and 2015, they fell to 843 last year.

The visa requirements associated with studying in the English language training sector mean a much higher spend than EU students arriving here.

A Chinese student typically spend around 20 weeks in Ireland, compared to just three for someone coming from Spain or Italy, according to Marketing English in Ireland chief executive David O’Grady.

“The events in Beijing, Dalian, and Shenyang are part of an ongoing strategy to grow our market share in China for students wishing to travel abroad to learn English,” he said.

“Ireland continues to receive the largest number of English language students from EU countries such as Spain, Italy and France,” Mr O’Grady said.