Seminars, Webinars and Conferences in 2025
- Webinar – April 4
The world is not lacking declarations of equity in international partnerships. Yet the rationale for seeking equity goes much beyond that it is the ethical thing to do.
Understanding equity in international partnerships is a fundamental step in moving from transactional towards transformational partnerships that maximise value for partners in collaborative initiatives.
e will explore a range of dimensions to expand your thinking around equity in university partnerships, not only focusing on the Global South – Global North partnerships but looking more broadly at a variety of asymmetric partnerships: non-university higher education institutions, private and non-profit organisations of a different scale, size or profile. We will look at approaches to using evaluation to understand equity.
There will be three presentations, facilitated data crowdsourcing and dialogue to illuminate diverse perspectives on evaluation and equity. Practical resources will be highlighted that participants can immediately use in their jobs.
- Annual Conference – Helsinki – June 4-6
The 2025 HUMANE Annual Conference will explore strategies and practices to enhance institutional performance through close engagement with internal and external stakeholders. In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, higher education institutions are facing many challenges to balance the needs of students, faculty, staff, their communities and funders. The conference will bring together thought leaders, practitioners, and innovators to share insights and actionable solutions aimed at fostering collaboration and driving excellence in higher education.
Participants will engage in dynamic discussions, interactive workshops, and keynote presentations that will focus on:
- Approaches to Open Innovation and Open Science: Discover cutting-edge approaches and best practices to improve performance in educational and research outcomes
- Stakeholder Engagement: Learn about effective ways to build strong relationships with diverse stakeholder groups and align their interests with institutional goals
- Impact: Explore how institutions can balance performance with social responsibility and long-term sustainability in safe campus environments
The three HUMANE member universities of Helsinki (Aalto University, the University of Helsinki and the University of the Arts Helsinki) will be our hosts. As a bursting place for innovation, the smart city of Helsinki is the ideal place to address our conference theme. Finland ranks seventh in the world for its innovation capabilities, thanks to its unique approach to entrepreneurship. It is also the world’s most sustainable destination. It is leading in technology developments, seen as critical to support current challenges: the environmental crisis, the development of well-being due to an aging population (and increasing problems of mental health), the erosion of democracy, increasing competition and the challenges to current economic foundations. Finnish universities play a key role in these developments.
- Seminar – Turin – October 16-17
Recruiting, retaining and replacing highly educated talents and specialist staff has become a major challenge in universities, in a context of financial constraints, geopolitical instability and shifting societal expectations.
Change management, digital skills and people leadership are some of the key skills to support strategic delivery, at a time when digitalisation and Artifical Intelligence are moving at a fast pace, requiring profound organisational and service transformations. To deal with daily challenges while embracing new opportunities for organisational growth, universities need specialised skills and expertise to deliver services efficiently: risk management, (cyber) security, artifical intelligence, stakeholder engagement and EDI (Equity, Diversity and Inclusion), to name only a few.
Professional service leaders are prioritising investments to build the right capabilities, expertise and skill development. The focus is on improved staff processes and experiences to enhance the employee value proposition, to attract and retain staff. Succession and development plans are key to take a sustainable long term view on talents.
This seminar will be ideal for senior leaders and managers of university professional services and HR professionals interested in enhancing their institution’s people strategies to foster a growth in their university.