“How models of Higher Education travel internationally” | King’s College London, 19-20 May 2025 (onsite and online)
The UNICA EduLAB Group and King’s College London organised the joint Conference “How models of Higher Education travel internationally”, hosted by KCL’s School of Education, Communication & Society, London, 19-20 May 2025.
The conference addressed the following topics:
- How models in key areas of Higher Education travel internationally, across systems, with positive or negative consequences (e.g. models of governance, funding, student access, curriculum and pedagogy, transparency, efficiency, or trust building).
- Are there productive contemporary examples of models in these areas being adopted, and adapted, from other systems? Are there new/recent models that can be useful in other systems than those were they emerged initially?
- Are there contemporary examples of counterproductive instances of higher education models traveling internationally?
- How can both types of examples be studied and how can lessons learned from a scholarly analysis be used in practice?
Takeaways from the Conference
With case studies from Brazil, China, Latvia, Slovenia, Ireland, The Netherlands, and the UK, our event explored a multitude of themes, including:
- The shifting global balance: discussions recognized the growing influence of countries beyond the traditional Western powers in shaping Higher Education and Research and dived into the current political climate and its impact on universities and academic freedom globally.
- Funding models and priorities: speakers acknowledged the critical role of funding in shaping Higher Education models, Research agendas, and overall university priorities, emphasizing the need to choose the right tools for universities and to align with broader societal goals.
- The role of universities in society: the conference emphasized the fundamental role of universities as pillars of society, arguing that the added value they bring should be a central consideration when choosing and developing models, quoting the introduction of new digital tools like AI as potential risks to society to be monitored.
The impact of the political climate was central to the discussions at a time when uncertainty lies in the sustainability of the US model, when innovative Higher Education and Research models are emerging in China, Singapore, India, Brazil, and when Europe is writing a new chapter of its transcontinental collaboration with the UK-EU Summit reopening negotiations for a “Youth Opportunities Scheme”.
Target groups
Vice-Rectors Education or Student affairs, representatives of academic leadership responsible for Education & Teaching, Deans, Directors for Innovation in Education, Coordinators of Study Programmes from UNICA Members
Photos from the event
Presentations
- Keynote presentation, by Thomas Estermann, EUA
- Keynote presentation, by Simon Marginson, King’s College London
- “An Emerging Model of College Students learning? China’s experience on AI-assisted learning”, a presentation by Mei Li, Professor at the Institute of Higher Education, East China Normal University
Speakers & Chairs’ biographies


19-20 May 2025
KCL's School of Education, Communication & Society
King's College London
Contact
maelle.constantin@unica-network.eu