The series will consist of six online episodes, with interpretation in English and French. Each episode will feature one keynote speaker presenting for 20 minutes, followed by a moderated conversation with selected discussants, and an open Q&A session with the audience. This format is designed to foster participatory dialogue and multi-perspective exchange across regions and disciplines.

This Higher Education Policy (HEP) special issue invites scholarly contributions that critically examine the promises and contradictions of open science. 'Contributions should critically engage with the ways in which financial interests, policy frameworks, geopolitical asymmetries, and disciplinary hierarchies shape current models of openness.

Trine Jensen, Manager of Higher Education and Digital Transformation, represented the IAU at UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2025. This year’s conference was themed around ‘AI and the future of education: Disruptions, dilemmas and directions’, which took place from the 2nd to the 5th of September at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.

From August 20 to 21, 2025, IAU Institutional Site Visit on Artificial Intelligence and the Global University Leaders Forum——Harnessing AI to Transform Higher Education was successfully held at the Changping and Haidian Campuses of Beijing Normal University (BNU). Leaders, experts, and scholars from 18 universities across 16 countries in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania gathered in Beijing to engage in in-depth discussions on the transformation of higher education empowered by artificial intelligence and to examine relevant practical achievements. The Site Visit and the Forum was co-hosted by International Association of Universities (IAU) and UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Education, Beijing Normal University, which marked the first implementation of the “IAU Institutional Site Visit” program in China and also the flagship cooperative initiative following Beijing Normal University’s official accession to IAU.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) was proud to participate in the 16th Quadrennial General Conference of the Association of African Universities (AAU), taking place this week in Rabat, Morocco. Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Higher Education for Innovation and Sustainable Development in Africa,” the conference provides a vital platform for reflection, exchange, and collaboration among higher education leaders from across the African continent and beyond.

From 14 to 23 July 2025, the IAU actively participated in the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), held under the theme “Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for leaving no one behind.” With a focus on SDG 3 (Health), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships), the Forum provided a key opportunity to highlight the transformative potential of higher education institutions (HEIs) in advancing the 2030 Agenda.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) has officially launched the implementation phase of its UNESCO Participation Programme project, "Promoting Equitable and Inclusive Internationalization at Universities in Africa," in partnership with the Women’s University in Africa (WUA).

On 7 July 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted Resolution A/HRC/RES/59/9 on the right to education. The International Association of Universities (IAU) warmly commends the Council for this important step forward and is pleased to see growing international consensus on the evolving nature and critical importance of education at all levels.

The UNESCO Future of education Initiative, the UN 2023 SDG Summit, in New York, the Pact for the Future adopted at the UN in 2024, and upcoming discussions at the 2025 UN High-Level Political Forums all in which the IAU is strongly involved, underscore the pressing need to reflect on what has worked, what has not, and what must come next. In this critical moment, this issue of IAU Horizons is devoted to the topic Transforming Our World: Shaping the Path Forward. It is an invitation for the members of the higher education community to reflect on their engagement with the SDGs and to share insights on both the achievements and shortcomings of the current agenda. More importantly, the aim is to steer a forward-looking discussion on the evolving role of higher education in driving transformation beyond 2030.

Beginning with the 2025-26 cohort, the IAU offers one grant to cover the participation of one IAU Member HEI for the Responsible Futures International programme. With the IAU RFI Grant, we hope to increase access and diversity of participating institutions working towards the development of a truly global programme. The grant will cover the participation fee for the full programme, including ad hoc support; the institution will cover the travel and subsistence costs if opting for an audit in person.

With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is increasingly clear that progress is falling short. Global efforts to advance climate action, reduce inequality, and ensure quality education have been hampered by compounding crises, political inertia, and widening structural divides. Yet, across university campuses, there is a markedly different mood: students are not waiting passively. Around the world, young people are demanding that their institutions take bolder, more integrated action to confront the intersecting social and environmental challenges of our time.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) was pleased to be represented at the EWORA 2025 Conference by IAU Vice Presidnet Inga Zaleniene, Rector, Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania. The conference is concluding today at Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) is honoured to participate in the Second Session of the Intergovernmental Conference of the States Parties to the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning higher education, held on 25 June 2025 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The IAU is represented onsite by IAU President Andrew Deeks, President and Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University, Australia; IAU Secretary General Hilligje van't Land; and IAU Deputy Secretary General Andreas Corcoran.

In early June 2025, the Global Forum convened at Charles University to reflect on the evolving role of universities in fostering democratic societies. In a time marked by polarization and declining trust in institutions, the Forum offered a timely space for dialogue on how Higher Education can—and must—rise to the challenge.

In early June 2025, the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) convened a High Level Expert Group Meeting on online university or equivalent platform for STEM education for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) within the framework of the the Doha Programme of Action for Least Developed Countries (2022 – 2031).

The IAU was pleased to co-organise a side event with the University of Bergen (UiB), INPO - Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Oceânicas, the International Science Council, and the United Nations Academic Impact (UN AI) in the context of the UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice, France.

From June 30 to July 2, 2025, The IAU concluded a three-day HEIAS (Higher Education Internationalization Assessment Service) site visit at Toyo University in Japan. The visit focused on evaluating the university’s progress in achieving comprehensive internationalization and enhancing global engagement across the entire institution.

The IAU is pleased to announce that applications for the 2025-2026 cohort of the IAU Exeucitve Leadership Programme are now open! This cohort of the programme will meet from 24 October 2025 immediately following the IAU 2025 International Conference in Kigali, Rwanda through Autumn 2026.

The IAU is pleased to announce the launch of the 2025 Internaitonal Conference website. The conference website is the main source of all information for the conference: from the programme and speakers to practical information and sponsorship opportuntiies. Discover the conference website: www.IAUKigali2025.net

To mark World Earth Month 2025, the International Association of Universities (IAU) joined global partners at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for an event convened by UNESCO IESALC in collaboration with National Geographic Learning. This high-level gathering brought together education leaders, sustainability experts, and policymakers to explore the transformative role of higher education in addressing global sustainability challenges.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) took part in the 2025 Conference of FAUBAI – the Brazilian Association for International Education – held in Brazil. The event gathered higher education leaders, scholars, and internationalization professionals from across Latin America and around the world to reflect on the evolving role of international education in addressing shared global challenges

On 29 April 2025, the IAU joined a key policy dialogue on the future of European academic mobility and cooperation, held in Brussels under the title “The Future of Europe = The Future of Erasmus+.” Organized by the Academic Cooperation Association (ACA) in collaboration with five of its members—DAAD (Germany), HK-dir (Norway), DZS (Czech Republic), Movetia (Switzerland), and VLUHR International (Flanders)—the event brought together a wide range of higher education stakeholders to reflect on the evolution of the Erasmus+ programme.

Internationalisation and global engagement in higher education are complex and constantly evolving phenomena, the approaches to which vary widely depending on institutional, national and regional contexts. What is similar across contexts, however, is the turbulent environment in which higher education institutions operate. Indeed, today’s unprecedented era of polycrisis presents significant challenges and opportunities for carrying forward effective and transformational internationalisation strategies. It thus requires energised and empowered senior internationalisation leaders.

The 2025 Erasmus Generation Meeting (EGM) in Ancona was a moment of full-circle reflection and renewed commitment for the International Association of Universities (IAU). Representing the Association, Giorgio Marinoni, IAU Manager for Higher Education and Internationalization, addressed an audience of hundreds of young leaders at one of Erasmus Student Network’s (ESN) largest annual events.

The IAU is pleased to announce that this year’s Institutional Site Visit will be hosted by Beijing Normal University (BNU) in China from 20-21 August 2025.

The University is pleased to welcome IAU Members to learn about their extensive experience in leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to transform higher education.

On March 24, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the International Association of Universities (IAU) joined the Global Education Coalition (GEC) to shape the future of education and reaffirm our commitment to SDG 4.

Each year the IAU reserves a budget to cover one of the HEIAS programmes for one IAU Member HEI. The HEIAS grant covers the full fee of the service; the institution will only have to cover the travel and subsistence costs (accommodation and meals) of the members of the expert panel.

When higher education institutions are deeply rooted in their national contexts, it can be challenging to see beyond familiar frameworks. Local policy concerns, cultural norms, and political pressures all shape institutional priorities—and rightly so. But without engaging with global perspectives, how can institutions effectively reflect on their role in a rapidly changing world?