16 April 2026

Senior university leaders, policymakers and sector experts from around the world will gather in Glasgow for the Universitas 21 (U21) Annual Network Meeting and Leadership Summit, hosted by the University of Glasgow as part of its 575th anniversary celebrations.

Taking place from 20–23 April 2026, the event brings together leadership from across the Universitas 21 network for four days of collaboration and knowledge exchange focused on the future of higher education.

The Annual Network Meeting (20–21 April) will provide an opportunity for member universities to review progress across the network, strengthen partnerships and explore new opportunities for collaboration. This year also marks the launch of the inaugural U21 Leadership Summit (22–23 April), expanding the traditional Presidential Symposium into a broader event involving policymakers, sector experts and strategic partners.

A central moment within the Annual Network Meeting will be the keynote session, “Navigating a new world order: universities, geopolitics and global influence.” This session will feature Catriona Laing of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Simon Marginson of the Universities of Bristol and Oxford. Together, alongside Presidents from across the network, they will explore how universities exercise global influence and soft power in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.

The U21 Leadership Summit will also be enriched by contributions from a distinguished group of international speakers. These include Nobel Laureate David MacMillan; Professor Robbert Dijkgraaf, theoretical physicist and former Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands; Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Founder of Biocon; and Katherine Grainger, Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. Together, they will contribute to a dynamic programme of keynote addresses, panel discussions and leadership discussions exploring the major challenges and opportunities facing higher education today, including leadership development, artificial intelligence, global collaboration and the evolving geopolitical landscape.

Jenny Dixon, Provost of Universitas 21, commented: “No single institution can solve the complex challenges facing higher education today. What networks like Universitas 21 provide is the ability for leading universities across the world to come together, share knowledge and shape solutions collectively.

The Annual Network Meeting remains a vital space for building the trusted relationships that underpin global collaboration, and the new Leadership Summit allows us to bring even more voices into the conversation about the
future of higher education.”

Professor Andy Schofield, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said: “This gathering comes at an important moment for universities across the world. We are all navigating rapid technological change, shifting geopolitical pressures
and profound environmental challenges – forces that are reshaping not only higher education, but the societies we serve.

The U21 Annual Network Meeting and Leadership Summit provide an opportunity to reflect together on how universities must evolve. It’s creates space for us to think clearly about how we strengthen global partnership, how we reshape our
institutions and ensure the work we do remains meaningful and sustainable for the future.

We are especially pleased to host the event during the University of Glasgow’s 575th anniversary year. It is a moment that invites us to celebrate our remarkable history, while looking confidently to the future and to the role that globally connected universities can and must play within it.”

Find out more

• Find out more about the U21 ANM & Leadership Summit
• Read more from U21 Senior Leaders on the importance of knowledge diplomacy, a key theme of discussion at the ANM & Leadership Summit