Providing a Stage for Global Education Summits

KAUST will be the first university in the MENA region to host the World Academic Summit

TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION

“The World Academic Summit series has established itself as the preeminent global forum for senior leaders in education, research industry and policy-making. We look forward to working closely with KAUST at the 2025 World Academic Summit.”

Phil Baty, Chief Knowledge Officer of Times Higher Education

KAUST is partnering with international tertiary education portal Times Higher Education (THE) on a series of events, including the inaugural Global Sustainable Development Congress, which is set to be held at KAUST in 2023, as well as the World Academic Summit, an event that will be hosted on the university’s campus in 2025.

THE provides news, analysis, data and insight into higher education around the world, and is considered one of the leading market players in its field. It publishes THE World University Rankings, one of the top university table rankings worldwide. THE also publishes a number of other rankings, such as the Emerging Economies University Ranking, Impact Ranking, World Reputation Ranking, Young University Ranking and Arab University Ranking. THE also organizes a series of summits, forums and symposiums each year to debate, discuss and drive forward the future of higher education governance, innovation and research.

The new collaboration marks an important development for both KAUST and THE. The partnership will further consolidate KAUST’s reputation as a world-class research university and increase its profile in the international education community. For THE, it will help the body expand into Saudi Arabia, further diversifying its reach. As part of the partnership, KAUST will work with THE to develop content in line with strategic priorities that include smart and sustainable cities, artificial intelligence and the digital economy, health care and well-being, and climate action. Most importantly, KAUST will play host to two major conferences. The first is the World Academic Summit, THE’s flagship event. It is a global forum that brings together preeminent thought leaders from a range of disciplines, including higher education, research, industry and government. The aim of the event is to share best practices and innovation related to the development and leadership of top universities and research.

THE’s 2022 World Academic Summit will be hosted by New York University under the theme “Trajectories in Higher Education: Meeting Rising Expectations.” It will examine the role of higher education leaders and policymakers in identifying, adapting to and meeting rising expectations for progress in three areas: students, institutions and the wider higher education sector. Saudi Arabia will be the first country in the MENA region to host this flagship global summit in 2025.

The Global Sustainable Development Congress is new in THE’s annual event calendar. In line with the global focus on climate change, resource efficiency and a range of other pressing environmental issues, sustainability is a priority for the future of education. As a leading sustainability-focused institution, KAUST is a natural choice for hosting the inaugural Global Sustainable Development Congress in 2023. The event will boost the university’s status as a forum for sustainability dialogue and development, and provide a state-of-the-art stage for an important new gathering in the series of THE events.

TONY CHAN President of KAUST

WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT KAUST WILL BE HOSTING TIMES HIGHER EDUCATION’S FLAGSHIP SUMMIT. BRINGING THE WORLD’S BRIGHTEST THOUGHT LEADERS TO OUR CAMPUS IS NOT ONLY AN HONOR, BUT A CHANCE TO SHOWCASE OUR WORK.