Over the past month, universities, academic community as well as the entire international society, and the staff of IREG Observatory have been facing the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic. We, at IREG, have consistently, together with our partners, relied on the guidance from public health authorities in order to direct our way through the pandemic. That was the reason, why our Executive Committee meeting in Budapest was cancelled. We continue monitoring closely the evolution of the pandemic in order to make a decision about our next IREG 2020 Conference scheduled in Beijing, at the Beijing University of Technology. Until now, preparation for the conference has been on hold. We will let you know about any further development.

We have been following the distressing and hectic time universities all around the world, including all IREG members universities, are going through. May I say that all of them have put the health and safety of their students and academic staff as their highest priority. I am convinced at the next IREG Conference we shall have a session to explore this issue. It is our responsibility to discuss how the virus crises will change the world, as we know it.

Universities are unique institutions who can bring about reflections that will lead to positive changes in the world. It seems to me that we don’t need to throw everything we have learned into the waste bin, but we need to discuss how we can bring the world of yesterday into the world of tomorrow after the crises.

We wish you to stay in good health and in hope that we shall return to our normal life sooner rather than later.

Luiz Claudio Costa
President of IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence