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)