Funding Internationalisation of Education in Portugal: Evidence From Higher and Non‐Higher Education Institutions

ABSTRACT This paper investigates how education and training institutions in Portugal fund internationalisation, moving beyond the traditional focus on higher education. Employing a convergent parallel mixed‐methods design through a nationwide survey and interviews, it reveals a two‐tiered system shaped by funding availability and diversity. Higher education institutions leverage a diversified portfolio of internal, national, and European funds to fuel ambitious, competitive agendas that reflect their complex missions. In contrast, the non‐tertiary sectors (School, Adult and Vocational Education) are critically dependent on a single source, Erasmus+, a dependency that channels their efforts primarily towards mobility, constraining their strategic autonomy and creating a structural inequality within the national system. The study argues that funding is not a neutral facilitator but a powerful force that influences the scope and nature of internationalisation. It concludes by proposing future research avenues and policy actions to foster more equitable international engagement across sectors.