VENUE and HOTELS

 

Grand Hotel Bucharest

No. 4, Nicolae Balcescu, Bucharest,
010051, Romania

Phone: +40 21 310 2020

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website

OTHER HOTELS

 

 

Mercure Bucharest Unirii****

28th Mircea Voda Boulevard
30167 Bucharest, Romania

Phone: +40 21 528 1100

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website

 

Sheraton Bucharest Hotel****

Calea Dorobantilor 5-7
010551 Bucharest, Romania

Phone: +40 21 201 5000

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Website

Organizers

IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Exellence
and
SNSPA National University of Political Studies and Public Administration

Host University

 

Remus Pricopie
Rector of SNSPA National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (Romania)

 

Sponsor

IREG 2024 Conference

Artificial Intelligence (AI) altering HE and Rankings

PROGRAM
(as of 27.09.2024)
Venue: Grand Hotel, Bucharest, Romania

6 November 2024 (Wednesday)

All day – Arrival of delegates and registration

15.00 – 17.00 IREG ExCom (by invitation)

19.30 – 21.00  Welcome reception

7 November (Thursday)

9.00 – 9.30 OPENING Session

• Waldemar Siwinski, President, IREG Observatory, Poland
• Ligia Deca, Minister of Education of Romania
• Remus Pricopie, Rector of SNSPA University, Romania

9.30 – 10.00 ACADEMIC KEYNOTE ADDRESS
How Artificial Intelligence is changing the world?

Introduction: Waldemar Siwiński, President, IREG Observatory

Speaker:

Piotr Sankowski Professor at the Institute of Informatics, University of Warsaw; Leader of a research group on Intelligent algorithms and data structures; fmr. Head of IDEAS NCBR Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy; Winner of four European Research Council (ERC) grants

10.00 – 11.30 FIRST SESSION
Artificial Intelligence influence on Higher Education

Chair of the session: Remus Pricopie, Rector of SNSPA University (Romania)

Speakers:

• Prof. Josep M. Garrell, Professor, President of European University Association (EUA)
• Ghassan Aouad, Chancellor, Abu Dhabi University (United Arab Emirates)
• Barbara Domaradzka, Managing Director of EUonAIR european university consortium, Kozminski University (Poland)

11.30 – 12.00 Coffee break

12.00 – 12.30 SPECIAL PRESENTATION
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on science and research

• M’hmed Aisati, Vice President of Elsevier (Netherlands)

12.30 – 13.30 SECOND SESSION
Can AI improve your University Ranking?: Navigating the AI Revolution in Higher Education

Universities can leverage AI to improve rankings and generate revenue, but they must navigate significant challenges. The benefits could include enhanced rankings and increased revenue. However, the road to successful AI implementation is fraught with obstacles, such as ethical concerns and costly infrastructure.

Expert panelists will weigh in on an interactive discussion, addressing themes like:

How can universities balance AI’s potential to enhance rankings and generate revenue against the ethical and practical concerns it presents?
What are the key strategies for making significant AI investments financially sustainable for higher educational institutions?
How can universities safeguard human critical thinking and ethical standards while integrating AI technologies?
The audience is encouraged to actively participate in the discussion, sparking conversations about acute AI-related issues with the aim to create a community that facilitates ongoing knowledge exchange in the field.

Speakers:

• Marat Fatkhullin, Vice President, Elsevier
• Alex Usher, President, Higher Education Strategy Associates, Canada:
• Vladimir Danailov, member of the Parliament in Bulgaria, former Regional Director, Elsevier
• Isidro Aguillo, Director of Webometrics, Head of Cybermetric Lab – Scimago Group, IPP-CSIC (Spain)

13.30 – 14.30 Lunch

14.30 – 15.40 THIRD SESSION
Rankings and data

The quality of every ranking depends on the quality of the underpinning data. Finding reliable and comparable data globally has proven very difficult or even practically impossible due to differences in the systems of higher education and data collection. On the other hand, there is ever growing volume of available data on the regional level. The European Union is a good example. The ongoing process of unification through programs such as Horizon, Erasmus or European universities and other initiatives will provide a growing pool of reliable data. During the session, actions taken in the Europe in this area will be presented and emerging problems be discussed.

Chair: Birte Hornemann, Chief Data Strategies, Aalborg University’s office of Quality Assurance and Ranking (Denmark)

Invited speakers:

• Martijn Visser, Center for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS), University of Leiden, Netherlands: – Open Data and Rankings
• Frans Kaiser, Center for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente, Netherlands: – The European Higher Education Sector Observatory: Integration of major European HE data into new tools
• Ming Cheng, Faculty of Education, Sheffield Hallam University, UK: – Indicators on Employability and Employment: – The Holy Grail of Rankings?

15.40 – 16.00 Coffee break

16.00 – 17.20  FOURTH SESSION
Where Rankings are heading?

During the session, experts will present the state of the rankings in the world – global, regional and national – and present their forecasts for the development of the rankings.

Chair: Gyorgy Fabri, Professor, ELTE University (Hungary)

Speakers:

• Richard Holmes, Higher Education Consultant, Leicester (UK): – Global rankings – critique and development
• Justyna Kopanska, Leader, Accreditation and Rankings, Lodz University of Technology (Poland): – National rankings – needed more than ever
• Mukhambetkali Burkitbayev, Professor, Al Farabi University, Kazakhstan: – Regional rankings: What Rankings Does Central Asia Need?
• Milosz Rojek: Analytical Team Leader, Perspektywy Education Foundation (Poland): – Regional rankings: Experiences from implementing the European Ranking of Engineering Programs EngiRank

17:20 End of the plenary programme

17:30 – 18.30 ELSEVIER SEMINAR (by invitation, Corelle hall)
Ignite Your Research Potential: Strategic Planning for Lasting Impact

We invite you to join a focused workshop at the IREG Conference 2024, aimed at helping university leaders develop effective research strategies. This session will provide practical tools and frameworks for strategic research planning to promote innovation and growth, attract and retain talent.

The workshop includes a presentation by Marat Fatkhullin on “Transforming Universities into an Entrepreneurial Mode,” followed by an interactive exercise led by Kirill Ivanov. Using the Six Steps to Strategic Research Planning and the Six Thinking Hats brainstorming framework, participants will work in small groups with guidance from Elsevier experts Alison Ferrett, Kirill Ivanov, and Parisa Oroemi, to refine a research strategy for a represented institution.

By participating, you will gain insights into creating a supportive research environment, building collaborative networks, and making your institution more attractive for research talent and innovation. We hope you’ll join us to contribute to a stronger research landscape.

Speakers: Marat Fatkhullin (VP Global Strategic Networks, Elsevier)

Discussion groups leaders:

• Kirill Ivanov (Customer Success Manager, Elsevier),
• Parisa Rajab Ali Oroemi (Solutions Account Manager, Elsevier),
• Alison Ferrett (Customer Success Manager, Elsevier)

19.30 – 22.30 Conference Gala Dinner

8 November (Friday)

09.30 – 10:.00 – Second Day Keynote Speaker

• Adrian Miroiu, Professor, Member of the Romanian Academy: – National rankings. The Romanian experience.

10:00 – 11.00 FIFTH SESSION
Strategies universities apply toward rankings

Chair: Thomas Parker, Senior Associate, Institute for Higher Education Policy (USA)

Speakers:

• Komiljon Karimov, Rector of Westminster University (Uzbekistan)
• Andrii Shysholin, Vice-Rector for International Relations, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (Ukraine)
• Cezar Wazen, Director of International Affairs, Qatar University (Qatar)

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break

11.30 – 12.45 SIXTH SESSION
Transformative Integration: Universities Embracing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Societal Impact

Chair: Habib Fardoun, member IREG Executive Committee (Saudi Arabia)

Spekers:

• Riri Fitri Sari, Greenmetrics Ranking, University of Indonesia (Indonesia): – Experience of UI GreenMetric: from Rankings to Sustainable Universities in the AI-based Upheaval Era
• Raghu Raman, Dean, School of Business, Amrita University (India)
• Bassam Alameddine, President, Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait

12.45 – 13.00 CLOSING Session

• Remus Pricopie, Rector of SNSPA University
• Waldemar Siwinski, President of IREG Observatory, Poland

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.00 IREG General Assembly (IREG members only)

9 November (Saturday)

Culture and history program at Bucharest (optional)

IREG 2024 Conference AI influence on HE and Rankings

Asking the right questions is crucial, especially when challenges arise that have no analogy in history. No longer science fiction, artificial intelligence (AI) has invaded higher education on many fronts. Teaching has always been regarded a human domain, yet generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT seem ready to replace instructors. The thread is so real that to protect teaching jobs the state of California wants to ban colleges from using such AI tools.

Evolving artificial intelligence tools have the potential to transform academic research. They can facilitate literature review and guide through ever expanding databases plus help in visual presentation of complex information. In simple terms, AI can make researchers’ work easier.

The tools artificial intelligence brings into higher education sooner rather than later will affect academic rankings and the ways ranking organizations gather and analyze information.

At the IREG 2024 Conference, we will hear international experts and university leaders discuss different aspects of artificial intelligence impact on higher education, and consequently on university rankings, too.

Among annual conferences organized by IREG Observatory, this one will be special, as it will pose more questions than bring answers. To lead a discussion on these open-ended yet important questions, we invited a group of outstanding experts in the field of AI.

They will speak about AI impact on research, teaching and evaluation of higher education and, of course, on rankings. Among them will be: Prof. Piotr Sankowski (Poland), University of Warsaw specializing in AI research and development; Alex Usher (Canada), President, Higher Education Strategy , expert on the global trends in higher education; M’hamed el Aisati, (Netherlands), Vice President of Elsevier who will share unique knowledge and experience in the field of global databases on education, research and their implementation.

There will be a lot to discuss and argue about in Bucharest!