Mexico City, November 29, 2024.

In a bid to strengthen its global presence and foster international collaboration in higher education, the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) visited Mexico City. This visit, organized in partnership with the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and its Institute for University and Education Research (IISUE), featured a three-day agenda from November 25 to 27.

The universities participating in the GUNi International Call to Action meeting at UNAM-Mexico City

The visit coincided with the second in-person meeting of the GUNi Strategic Council, a key forum for defining the organization’s directions. During the event, GUNi’s strategic priorities were discussed, and two vice presidencies for 2025 were appointed: Balvir Singh Tomar, Rector of Nims University (India), and Berrin Yanıkkaya, Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences and Director of Learning and Teaching Implementation and Research Centre at Yeditepe University (Turkey). The event also introduced the 2025 activity calendar, highlighting initiatives such as the development of the new GUNi World Report (Higher Education in the World Report 9), the promotion of international declarations, and the continuation of the network’s three strategic programs: The International Call to Action, The Higher Education Leadership and Management Hub, and the Cities and Universities programme.

This gathering followed the first Strategic Council meeting held in June 2024 in Barcelona, reinforcing the network’s commitment to fostering in-person collaboration among universities worldwide.

GUNi also met with Dr. Rosaura Ruiz Gutiérrez, Secretary of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation for the Government of Mexico. Discussions focused on potential collaboration areas, including integrating GUNi into key projects like the National Common Space Network for Education, Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation (Red ECOES Nacional). This initiative addresses critical challenges in Mexico, such as water management, energy transition, climate change, and food sovereignty, through collaborative projects.

Meeting with the Secretary of State for Science, Technology, Humanities, and Innovation of the Government of Mexico

Another highlight of the agenda was a session dedicated to the strategic projects that participating universities will develop as part of the GUNi International Call to Action (2024-2026). Universities presented their proposals, fostering an enriching exchange of ideas and feedback.

                                                                  Members of the GUNi-ICA programme 

The event concluded with a workshop led by Eva Egron-Polak, former Secretary-General of the International Association of Universities (IAU), focusing on change management and innovation in the university sector. This session provided a reflective space to address the challenges institutions face in adapting to new social and educational demands while designing strategies for sustainable organizational transformation.

Participating universities included the Afro-American University of Central Africa (Equatorial Guinea), Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH, Ecuador), Instituto Politécnico de Gestão e Tecnologia, ISLA Gaia (Portugal), Nims University (India), Escola Superior de Comunicação Social (ESCS, Portugal), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC, Spain), Universitat de Lleida (UdL, Spain), Universitat de Barcelona (UB, Spain), Yeditepe University (Turkey), University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS, Malaysia), UNAM’s Institute for University and Education Research (IISUE, Mexico),

With this visit, GUNi reaffirms its commitment to building an inclusive and transformative educational model grounded in international collaboration and innovation in higher education.