U21 Annual Network Meeting & Presidential Symposium 2023

U21 Annual Network Meeting and Presidential Symposium 2023

Taking place from 26 - 28 April at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, the symposium, entitled 'Partnering for Change - what role do universities have in achieving a net-zero future?', will focus on how U21 members can play a critical role in global efforts to address climate change and the transition to a more sustainable future.

The Presidential Symposium Session on Wednesday 26 April 2023 will be a hybrid event that is open to staff at any U21 member university. You will be able to register for online access prior to the event.

Who Should Attend the U21 Annual Network Meeting and Presidential Symposium?

• Presidents and Vice Chancellors of U21 member universities
• U21 Senior Leaders
• Cluster Steering Group members

Our Annual Network Meeting is an opportunity to meet with international peers, discuss matters of importance to the U21 network and to shape the agenda for 2023 and beyond.

Partnering For Change - What role do universities have in achieving a net-zero future?

The theme for our 2023 Presidential Symposium is Partnering For Change - What role do universities have in achieving a net-zero future?

Nations around the world are required to halve their emissions by 2030 and to set net-zero targets by 2025 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. U21 universities have the capacity to provide knowledge leadership and expertise to address climate change and to ensure today’s challenges are not passed on to future generations.

Topics discussed will include: 

• Harnessing interdisciplinary research and knowledge leadership to support global net-zero agendas
• Partnering with industry and government to drive net-zero and renewable energy policy
• Mitigating inequality and the impact of climate change on developing nations
• Leveraging the 2032 'climate positive' Olympic and Paralympic Games to shape sustainable cities
• Designing and operating nature-positive, low-emissions universities.

Our Programme

Our programme outlines the meetings and social events planned for the Annual Network Meeting and Presidential Symposium. Please note, the below dates have been confirmed but programme details may be subject to change closer to the time of the event.

For those who have been sent an invitation via email for the in-person session, please note that the deadline to register your attendance has now passed. Please note: If you are a President of a U21 member university, and you cannot attend the 2023 AGM either in person or virtually, you must complete a proxy form to offer your voting rights to someone else attending on your behalf. If you have not received an email invitation and believe that you should have, please contact us.

The order of events in our programme has changed slightly following feedback after last year's AGM. This is to support more time for networking between members and to allow us to build the themes of the Presidential Symposium into the subsequent workshop sessions. This may affect the days you will need to attend, so please check the below outline prior to making any travel arrangements.

To see this information in an accessible format, please click here.

Accommodation and Transport

The Brisbane Marriott Hotel

Attendees will be accommodated at the Brisbane Marriott Hotel, situated in the heart of Brisbane. The hotel features a stunning mixture of serenity and cutting-edge urban style, and offers access to a range of dining facilities, an outdoor pool and contemporary fitness centre.

Rooms have been reserved for U21 conference attendees; further details on accommodation and how bookings can be made will be issued shortly via email to invitees.

About the University of Queensland

The University of Queensland (UQ) is one of three Australian founding members of U21 and is proud to collaborate with international researchers, teachers and innovators to create a cleaner, healthier and happier future.

For more than a century, UQ has delivered knowledge leadership for a better world. With a strong focus on teaching excellence, UQ has won more national teaching awards than any other Australian university.

Our six faculties, eight globally recognised research institutes and more than 100 research centres attract an interdisciplinary community of 1,500 scientists, social scientists, and engineers who champion research excellence and continue UQ’s tradition of research leadership.

We look forward to welcoming you to the University’s St Lucia campus, with its hub of sandstone buildings enclosing the National Trust-registered Great Court and world-class facilities including the largest Oral Health Centre in Australasia, Australia’s largest research library, and the southern hemisphere’s largest photovoltaic solar array research facility.

In 2032, Brisbane will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games. UQ will collaborate closely with governments, sports and health experts and private partners in the lead up to the Olympics, including with President of the Organising Committee Board, UQ alumnus Andrew N. Liveris AO.

About the City of Brisbane

We look forward to welcoming you to Queensland’s capital, Brisbane, Australia’s third-largest city and one of the fastest-growing capital cities in Australia by population and employment. The city boasts a range of cultural attractions, sporting venues and restaurants. With a comfortable subtropical climate and long, sunny days, Brisbane is the perfect city to enjoy the outdoors.

Several world-renowned subtropical forests and marine parks are located within an hour of the city including the pristine Moreton Bay Marine Park and the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests. Some of Australia’s most iconic beaches are also just a few hours’ drive from Brisbane, including the Gold Coast to the south and the Sunshine Coast to the north.