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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260527T100000
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SUMMARY:Bridging Communities: Creating the Change You Want to See in the World
DESCRIPTION:What does it really take to create meaningful change? \n\n\n\nJoin us for the first Bridging Communities event of 2026\, hosted by The Melting Pot in collaboration with the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, as we explore what it means to turn bold ideas into real-world action. \n\n\n\nThis event is for people who want to make a difference in their organisations\, communities and wider society. We know that meaningful change rarely happens by accident. It takes imagination\, persistence\, collaboration and the courage to try something new. It’s felt across all sectors and shapes and sizes of organisations. \n\n\n\nThrough the stories of two inspiring speakers\, we’ll hear firsthand how new initiatives have been created that have gone on to influence Scottish society\, from changing the world of grant making to reshaping thinking and practice in the public sector. These are stories of creating something truly new\, navigating uncertainty and building momentum for change in a sustainable way. \n\n\n\nAfter each speaker\, there will be time to reflect on what you’ve heard and connect it with your own context. This period of individual reflection will allow you to questions like: what change do you want to see\, what stands in the way\, and what practical steps could help move your ideas forward? \n\n\n\nWhether you’re leading change inside an organisation\, supporting communities\, developing new ideas\, or simply looking for inspiration and connection\, this event is designed to help you think bigger\, act more deliberately\, and learn with others who care about creating a better future. \n\n\n\nWhat to expect\n\n\n\n\nLight refreshments on arrival\n\n\n\nTwo inspiring speakers sharing their experience of creating meaningful change\n\n\n\nFacilitated reflection and conversation after each speaker\n\n\n\nNetworking with people from across sectors who are working to make a positive difference\n\n\n\nA warm and welcoming event — whether you love networking or usually avoid it\, you’ll leave with fresh perspectives and new connections\n\n\n\n\nWho’s it for?\n\n\n\nThis event is open to all sectors\, inviting as many different perspectives in the room as possible. Whether you work in the public\, private or third sector or are part of a community initiative or social enterprise\, Bridging Communities is designed to help you step outside your usual circles\, connect with others and spark new possibilities for action. \n\n\n\nWhat We Need From You:\n\n\n\n\nTo reflect on what new initiatives have inspired you in the past \n\n\n\nTo consider what new concepts get you excited in 2026\n\n\n\nTo bring one belief that you feel accelerates change \n\n\n\n\nMeet Our Speakers\n\n\n\nTwo speakers will share their experiences of creating truly new initiatives that have changed the worlds of grant making and the public sector. \n\n\n\n\nLeah Black\, Co-director of Regenerative Futures Fund \n\n\n\nCatherine Rose\, Co-Director of Scottish Policy & Research Exchange\n\n\n\nAdam Underwood\, Business Development Lead at St Columba’s Hospice\n\n\n\n\nMore speaker details to be announced soon. \n\n\n\nTickets\n\n\n\nHosted in collaboration with Edinburgh Futures Institute\, this event is free and open to all. \n\n\n\nHowever if you are able we would welcome a donation to help The Melting Pot cover their costs to run the event (this includes marketing\, staff time and event facilitation).
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/bridging-communities-creating-the-change-you-want-to-see-in-the-world/
LOCATION:Room 2.55\, Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Melting-Pot.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260528T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260528T200000
DTSTAMP:20260507T080827Z
CREATED:20260507T080618Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260507T080827Z
UID:10000361-1779987600-1779998400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Venture Café Edinburgh Thursday Gathering
DESCRIPTION:Funding That Fits: A Night for Female Founders\, Funders & Investors\n\n\n\nEvery business needs the right support to grow\, but female-led businesses often face a narrower view of what that support looks like. Equity investment is a powerful route\, but it’s not the only option. From crowdfunding to IP-backed lending\, many businesses thrive on a mix of funding sources\, yet these options often lack visibility\, leaving founders unsure what’s available or right for their stage and sector. \n\n\n\nThis special Thursday Gathering\, in partnership with Pathways Forward and Scottish EDGE\, is designed to make connections that matter and focus on practical actions\, not just another diagnosis of the problem. \n\n\n\nWho is this for?\n\n\n\n\nFounders looking for the right kind of finance at the right time.\n\n\n\nInvestors and funders who are serious about backing women-led businesses.\n\n\n\nAnyone who wants to shift from talking about the issues to making progress.\n\n\n\n\nWhat to expect?\n\n\n\nYou’ll leave with a clear view of what different funders and supporters are looking for\, along with actionable takeaways on the funding mix that could work for you. \n\n\n\nCome ready to ask questions\, make connections\, and leave with a clearer sense of your next step.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/venture-cafe-edinburgh-thursday-gathering-5/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Venture Cafe Edinburgh Thursday Gatherings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/169-VCE-Photo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260602T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260602T191500
DTSTAMP:20260625T095655Z
CREATED:20260409T134034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T095655Z
UID:10000353-1780423200-1780427700@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Beth Simone Noveck: Civic University – Democracy\, AI\, and the Public Imagination
DESCRIPTION:Join Beth Simone Noveck in conversation with Oliver Escobar for a timely exploration of the civic role of the university in an age of democratic uncertainty and rapid technological change. This event will examine how universities can act as democratic institutions – harnessing AI not just as a tool for innovation\, but to strengthen participation\, trust\, and public problem-solving. At a moment when democracy feels increasingly fragile\, what responsibilities do universities hold as civic actors embedded in society? And how can they help design and deploy technologies that serve the public good rather than concentrate power? This conversation invites us to reimagine the university not only as a site of knowledge\, but as a vital partner in renewing democratic life. \n\n\n\nPart of the Future University programme\, this event looks beyond immediate sector challenges to ask what kind of institutions we need for the future – and how universities can rise to meet that moment. \n\n\n\nImage credit: Elise Racine & The Bigger Picture / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nBeth Simone Noveck\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBeth Simone Noveck is a professor and director of the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University. She leads The Governance Lab and its InnovateUS initiative. Former U.S. deputy chief technology officer and the first state chief AI strategist\, she founded AI for Impact\, which builds democratic AI with communities. She is the author of Solving Public Problems: A Practical Guide to Fix Our Government and Change Our World and writes on AI and democracy at rebootdemocracy.ai. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChair: Oliver Escobar\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Oliver Escobar is the Chair of Public Policy and Democratic Innovation at the University of Edinburgh. He works on participatory and deliberative democracy\, with a focus on public participation\, policy work\, the commons\, political inequalities\, and the governance of the future. Oliver combines research and practice to develop social and democratic innovations across various policy and community contexts. He was Academic Lead on Democratic Innovation at Edinburgh Futures Institute (2019-2023)\, and Co-director of CRITIQUE  (2021-2023). Read more about Oliver: https://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/staff/oliver-escobar
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/beth-simone-noveck-civic-university-democracy-ai-and-the-public-imagination/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, Level 0 Event Space\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Future University
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2-June-Beth-Noveck.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260606T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260606T170000
DTSTAMP:20260601T134319Z
CREATED:20260601T134001Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T134319Z
UID:10000363-1780740000-1780765200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:University of Edinburgh at the Meadows Festival
DESCRIPTION:Pop into our stall in the Community Area and meet staff and students from Edinburgh Futures Institute and members of the university’s Edinburgh Local team. Find out how we support local communities and discover some of our research with fun hands-on activities.  \n\n\n\nActivities are free\, open to all and available on a drop-in basis \n\n\n\nAbout us\n\n\n\nThe Culture & Community Team at the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, University of Edinburgh provides creative activities\, events and programmes for the public to learn\, discover and be inspired by our work on society\, data and future challenges.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/university-of-edinburgh-at-the-meadows-festival/
LOCATION:The Meadows\, Melville Drive\, Edinburgh\, EH9 1JU
CATEGORIES:Meadows Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SRS_Meadows_080625_AndrewPerry_34-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260607T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260607T170000
DTSTAMP:20260601T134239Z
CREATED:20260601T134115Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260601T134239Z
UID:10000364-1780830000-1780851600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:University of Edinburgh at the Meadows Festival
DESCRIPTION:Pop into our stall in the Community Area and meet staff and students from Edinburgh Futures Institute and members of the university’s Edinburgh Local team. Find out how we support local communities and discover some of our research with fun hands-on activities.  \n\n\n\nActivities are free\, open to all and available on a drop-in basis \n\n\n\nAbout us\n\n\n\nThe Culture & Community Team at the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, University of Edinburgh provides creative activities\, events and programmes for the public to learn\, discover and be inspired by our work on society\, data and future challenges.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/university-of-edinburgh-at-the-meadows-festival-2/
LOCATION:The Meadows\, Melville Drive\, Edinburgh\, EH9 1JU
CATEGORIES:Meadows Festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SRS_Meadows_080625_AndrewPerry_34-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T120000
DTSTAMP:20260520T144049Z
CREATED:20260520T143947Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260520T144049Z
UID:10000362-1781172000-1781179200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Centre for Investing Innovation Prominent Scholars Lecture with Jacob Choi: A Portfolio of AI Agents
DESCRIPTION:The Centre for Investing Innovation (CII)\, a research centre based at Edinburgh Futures Institute\, invites you to this upcoming Prominent Scholars Lecture with Jacob Choi\, co-founder and CEO of LinqAlpha. \n\n\n\nThe event is open to the public\, university students\, researchers\, and professionals working across financial services\, fintech\, Artificial Intelligence\, Machine Learning\, and data. \n\n\n\nChoi’s talk\, “A Portfolio of AI Agents: From Asset Specialists to Cross-Asset Intelligence in Institutional Investment Research\,” looks at a major change happening in how large investment organisations do research. \n\n\n\nInstead of relying on slow\, manual processes spread across different tools and teams\, more firms are starting to use AI to pull information together and analyse it quickly. The shift is moving from AI as something that simply helps analysts\, to groups of AI “agents” that can work alongside them—finding relevant material\, questioning assumptions\, and summarising key insights across different markets. \n\n\n\nBased on several years of work with major global investors\, Choi will share what he’s learned from actually building and using these systems. He won’t present them as perfect solutions\, but as real-world signs that this new approach is developing quickly—even faster than the academic or industry theory needed to fully explain it.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/a-portfolio-of-ai-agents-from-asset-specialists-to-cross-asset-intelligence-in-institutional-investment-research/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Centre-for-Investing-Innovation-Prominent-Scholars-Lecture-Series-200-x-100-px-1880-x-940-px-5.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260611T200000
DTSTAMP:20260604T105853Z
CREATED:20260604T105849Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T105853Z
UID:10000365-1781197200-1781208000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Venture Café Edinburgh Thursday Gathering
DESCRIPTION:The Science Behind Strong Connections\n\n\n\nVenture Cafe have teamed up with Converge to celebrate the next generation of Scottish entrepreneurs! Converge’s Kickstart programme helps students\, researchers and recent graduates from across Scotland’s universities dip their toes into entrepreneurship. It’s where people learn the basics\, test whether their idea has legs\, and decide if this path is for them. \n\n\n\nOn June 11th\, we’re bringing this year’s cohort together with the wider Venture Café Edinburgh community\, because building a good network takes time\, and the earlier you start\, the better. Whether you’re just starting out or have been around the block\, this is a chance to make connections that will matter at every stage of the journey. We’ll also hear from experienced founders and ecosystem builders on the science behind strong connections and how your networks and relationships are what help open doors\, challenge your thinking\, and support you when things get hard. Come along\, meet the cohort\, and help us welcome the next wave of Scottish academic entrepreneurs into the community.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/venture-cafe-edinburgh-thursday-gathering-6/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Venture Cafe Edinburgh Thursday Gatherings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/169-VCE-Photo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260615T190000
DTSTAMP:20260610T122144Z
CREATED:20260610T122142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260610T122144Z
UID:10000368-1781542800-1781550000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Traveltech Meet Up
DESCRIPTION:​From Screen to Destination: Building the Data Infrastructure for Screen Tourism \n\n\n\n​Film and television have become some of the most powerful drivers of travel demand\, influencing nine out of ten travel decisions. From iconic filming locations to destinations propelled into the spotlight by a hit series\, screen tourism is booming. Yet despite its growing impact\, the sector still relies heavily on anecdotes rather than data. \n\n\n\n​As demand continues to rise\, there is a clear opportunity for travel technology and AI to help build the infrastructure needed to better understand\, measure\, and manage screen tourism. \n\n\n\n​Join us for an interactive discussion exploring the untapped potential at the intersection of travel technology\, AI\, and screen tourism.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/traveltech-meet-up-6/
LOCATION:Room 2.55\, Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF
CATEGORIES:Mixer,Tourism & Festivals,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Traveltech-Meet-up-15_Maddy-Burgoyne.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260618T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260618T200000
DTSTAMP:20260604T112238Z
CREATED:20260604T112236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T112238Z
UID:10000366-1781802000-1781812800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Venture Café Edinburgh Thursday Gathering
DESCRIPTION:Future-Proofing the Plate\n\n\n\nJoin us on Sustainable Gastronomy Day to celebrate the future of food! We know that our food system needs to change. The question isn’t whether we innovate\, but what that innovation looks like\, from lab to field to kitchen. For this Thursday Gathering\, we’re bringing together researchers\, founders\, culinary creatives\, and food lovers for an evening focused on real solutions. Across the night\, we’ll explore new approaches to growing\, cooking\, and sharing food that can help build a more sustainable\, secure\, and resilient future.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/venture-cafe-edinburgh-thursday-gathering-7/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Venture Cafe Edinburgh Thursday Gatherings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/169-VCE-Photo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260625T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260625T200000
DTSTAMP:20260604T141155Z
CREATED:20260604T141152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T141155Z
UID:10000367-1782406800-1782417600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Venture Café Edinburgh Thursday Gathering
DESCRIPTION:Founders Meetup Edinburgh x Venture Café\n\n\n\nWe’re teaming up with Founders Meetup Edinburgh for a special event on June 25th at Venture Café Edinburgh! \n\n\n\nWe’ll bring their signature format\, an intimate interview with a successful entrepreneur\, and infuse it with Venture Café’s signature magic: real connections\, unexpected conversations and a buzzing atmosphere where innovators connect. \n\n\n\nDuring the night\, you’ll hear from Poonam Gupta OBE\, CEO & Founder of PG Paper Company who will share her journey scaling a global business. \n\n\n\nWhether you come for the story or the people\, you’ll leave with fresh ideas and new contacts.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/venture-cafe-edinburgh-thursday-gathering-8/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Venture Cafe Edinburgh Thursday Gatherings
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/169-VCE-Photo.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260817T130000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260817T140000
DTSTAMP:20260805T092038Z
CREATED:20260805T092036Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260805T092038Z
UID:10000376-1786971600-1786975200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:The Front List: Cory Doctorow and Jimmy Wales
DESCRIPTION:Remember when the internet was exciting and full of possibilities? As online content becomes darker\, more divisive\, and sensationalist over truthful\, join Jimmy Wales\, founder of Wikipedia and author of The Seven Rules of Trust\, and journalist and sci-fi author Cory Doctorow (author of Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What To Do About It) for a frank and fascinating discussion on the current state of our online lives. Can the internet ever be good again? Chaired by Gabriel Gatehouse. \n\n\n\nSupported by Edinburgh Futures Institute and Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation and the High Commission of Canada in the United Kingdom
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/the-front-list-cory-doctorow-and-jimmy-wales/
LOCATION:McEwan Hall\, Teviot Place\, Edinburgh\, EH8 9AG\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Edinburgh International Book Festival,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Doctorow_Wales_web.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260821T153000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260821T163000
DTSTAMP:20260819T143911Z
CREATED:20260805T094754Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T143911Z
UID:10000377-1787326200-1787329800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Hilary Cottam & Sarah O’Connor: New Ways of Working
DESCRIPTION:We’re continually told that the AI revolution will forever alter our relationship with work\, yet need that change be for the worse? Enjoy an invigorating discussion with two authors offering upbeat proposals for the future of work: Orwell Prize-winning Financial Times journalist Sarah O’Connor\, whose We Are Not Machines explores humans learning to master destabilising new technology\, and innovator and change-maker Hilary Cottam\, whose The Work We Need reimagines labour as a force for collective good. Chaired by Jarred McGinnis. \n\n\n\nSupported by Edinburgh Futures Institute.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/hilary-cottam-sarah-oconnor-new-ways-of-working/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Edinburgh International Book Festival,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Hilary-Cottam-Sarah-OConnor-New-Ways-of-Working.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260829T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260829T130000
DTSTAMP:20260819T144002Z
CREATED:20260805T115137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260819T144002Z
UID:10000378-1788004800-1788008400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Future Library
DESCRIPTION:Norway’s Future Library is a powerful gesture of hope for a world beyond our lifetime. Created by Scottish artist Katie Paterson in 2014\, every year\, for 100 years\, an author writes a new text to be placed inside the library. Every text remains unread until 2114. Join Paterson and Future Library’s Anne Beate Hovind talking about the remarkable project with previous contributors Elif Shafak and Valeria Luiselli\, then be first to find out the sensational new writer contributing to the Future Library in 2027. \n\n\n\nSupported by Edinburgh Futures Institute.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/future-library-2/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/katie_paterson_DSF6965-HDR-Pano.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260908T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260908T130000
DTSTAMP:20260820T093604Z
CREATED:20260820T093602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T093604Z
UID:10000379-1788868800-1788872400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:FutureGaze: The Future of Tourism and Culture
DESCRIPTION:Overview \n\n\n\nFutureGaze is a series of online lunchtime conversations that explore the future of our creative industries and practices. \n\n\n\nBrought to you by Creative Edinburgh and in partnership with Edinburgh Futures Institute\, FutureGaze has been designed for those eager to explore the future of our creative industries and practices.PLEASE NOTE: \n\n\n\nFutureGaze is a free event for all Creative Edinburgh members. If you’re not a member yet\, you’re absolutely welcome to join us – and we’d love to have you. To support the community\, please consider signing up as a free member or Pay What You Can to help keep events like this accessible for everyone. \n\n\n\nHosted by Caroline Parkinson\, Director of Creative for the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, each session features inspiring conversations with creative leaders who’ve driven innovation and transformation in their work – whether in business\, the arts\, academia\, or beyond. \n\n\n\nTogether\, we’ll explore what the future holds for the creative and cultural sector through their experiences and insights. \n\n\n\nSeptember’s Discussion: The Future of Tourism and Culture\n\n\n\nWhat is the scope of our cultural tourism in Scotland\, and how can we support local\, national and international audiences to engage with Scottish culture and our cultural events? \n\n\n\nDuring this event\, we’ll explore the trends we’re seeing in the data\, discuss how AI is impacting creative and cultural work\, and discover how to harness these tools for better audience engagement and data gathering. We’ll also share strategies and resources that Scottish creative and cultural organisations can use to support tourism moving forward\, helping you connect with visitors and build sustainable audiences for your work. \n\n\n\nAbout our guests\n\n\n\nJoshua Ryan-Saha\, Director of Tourism\, Travel & Festivals\, Edinburgh Futures Institute \n\n\n\nJoshua is Director of Tourism\, Travel & Festivals at the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, University of Edinburgh\, where he leads the Travel Tech Innovation Hub and the Traveltech for Scotland network. Over six years\, he has grown the network to more than 200 companies and helped facilitate over £25 million of investment into travel tech. \n\n\n\nHe chairs the Data\, AI & Technology workstream on Scotland’s Tourism & Hospitality Industry Leadership Group and leads the Scottish Tourism Data Partnership. His work sits at the intersection of academia\, government\, and industry – translating emerging technology into practical policy\, investment agendas\, and a clearer understanding of the changing customer journey. A global practitioner in the field\, he has delivered AI\, futures\, and technology sessions to over 1\,000 tourism and travel professionals across four continents. \n\n\n\nMary Bruce\, Digital Projects Officer\, Edinburgh Fringe Society \n\n\n\nMary Bruce is Digital Projects Coordinator at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society\, working on digital transformation initiatives\, including the development of the Fringe’s new website\, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies through the Digital Accelerator Programme. \n\n\n\nMary is focused on improving how artists and audiences engage with the Fringe’s digital platforms and how these platforms can best communicate and provide access to the programme. She has led research into staff perceptions of AI within a festival context\, helping to inform organisational policy development and the ethical use of AI across the organisation\, as well as its use by artists and audiences. She has also conducted user research with community groups and audiences with access requirements\, ensuring accessibility considerations are embedded into the development of the Fringe’s technical infrastructure. \n\n\n\nMore recently\, Mary led a project to develop new ways of categorising work coming to the Fringe\, helping audiences navigate the ever-growing and vast programme as well as finding ways to support artists to represent their work. \n\n\n\nAbout our host\n\n\n\nCaroline Parkinson \n\n\n\nCaroline is Director of Creative at the Edinburgh Futures Institute\, focusing on supporting innovation in data and creative technologies for the creative industries. Previously\, she has led her own consultancy business\, served as Director of Film\, TV\, Music\, Creative Industries\, Skills & Innovation in the early years of Creative Scotland\, and before that\, she was Director\, Scotland & Northern Ireland for Creative & Cultural Skills. \n\n\n\nHer early creative life included ballet and rhythmic gymnastics\, fashion\, singing in bands for over 30 years\, and photography\, becoming a professional photographer in 1999. She serves on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland\, and for 8 years has served in a voluntary capacity as Strategic Director and Presenter of the MOVE Summit\, Scotland’s Animation and VFX Gathering. \n\n\n\nCode of Conduct\n\n\n\nCreative Edinburgh is committed to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone. Across all our activities and channels we ask participants to respect the Code of Conduct. \n\n\n\nAbout Creative Edinburgh\n\n\n\nCreative Edinburgh is a registered Scottish Charity (SC052838) committed to helping creatives thrive. Through events\, career support and advocacy\, we bring together and help grow the city’s creative community\, providing a space for creation\, collaboration and connection at every stage of your career. Creative Edinburgh is supported by Creative Scotland as a recipient of Multi-Year Funding (MYF).
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/futuregaze-the-future-of-tourism-and-culture/
CATEGORIES:Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Future-Gaze.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T113000
DTSTAMP:20260714T150530Z
CREATED:20260625T115259Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260714T150530Z
UID:10000369-1789639200-1789644600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:The Future of Research in an Age of AI
DESCRIPTION:Artificial intelligence is transforming how knowledge is produced\, analysed\, and shared across every discipline. From scientific discovery and creative practice to the humanities and social sciences\, new tools are reshaping the research process and raising fundamental questions about expertise\, evidence\, and the future of scholarship. How might AI change what researchers do\, how research is conducted\, and what universities contribute to society? This panel will explore the opportunities\, challenges\, and responsibilities facing research institutions as they navigate a new era of knowledge creation. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nDevi Sridhar\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDevi Sridhar is a writer\, broadcaster and world-leading expert in public health and wellbeing. She is Professor and Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh and has advised the WHO\, UNICEF\, UNESCO and the Scottish\, UK and German governments. Devi appears regularly on ITV and Channel 4 News\, has a bi-weekly column in the Guardian\, and a certified Level 3 Personal Trainer. Her first popular book\, Preventable\, was a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week and a Sunday Times bestseller. Her latest book How Not to Die (Too Soon)’ was a Financial Times Book of the Year in 2025.   \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChristopher Smith\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Christopher Smith is the Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)\, UKRI International Champion and Creative Industries Responsible owner UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).  He has been involved across his career in culture\, heritage and the arts in Scotland\, Italy and globally.  He has been Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews since 2002\, and was also Vice-Principal (2007-2009)\, before being seconded as Director of the British School at Rome\, the UK’s leading humanities and creative arts research institute overseas\, from 2009 to 2017.  In 2025 he was appointed as the Chair of the Board of the National Library of Scotland (NLS). He is the author or editor of over 20 books from textual editions to museum studies.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Member of the Academia Europaea.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichael Rovatsos\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichael Rovatsos is Dean of Research and Innovation at the College of Science and Engineering and Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the School of Informatics. He has previously held key leadership roles at the University as Director of The Bayes Centre\, Deputy Vice Principal for AI\, and institutional lead on AI adoption. He currently serves on the Scottish Government’s Tech Council\, the Board of The Data Lab and acts as academic University liaison at the Alan Turing Institute. He has over 25 years of experience in AI research\, where he develops to support collaboration between human and/or artificial agents. He has published over 100 scientific articles on various topics in AI\, and has been involved in research and innovation projects that have received over £20 million of external funding. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChair: Marion Thain\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMarion Thain comes to Edinburgh Futures Institute from her role as Professor of Culture and Technology at King’s College London\, where she was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities for 6 years. While at King’s she founded and led the Digital Futures Institute\, which grew out of her Centre for Attention Studies. She began her career as a Junior Research Fellow at Cambridge University\, and worked in English departments at Russell Group universities before moving to New York University as a professor of Arts and Literature (in English and the school of the interdisciplinary global liberal arts) and Director of Digital Humanities. She returned to the UK in 2018. Marion is interested particularly in the relationship between culture and technology (considering ‘technology’ in the broadest sense)\, and in formations of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. Details can be found at https://www.marionthain.org 
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/the-future-of-research-in-an-age-of-ai/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, Level 0 Event Space\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Future University,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/17-Sept-The-Future-of-Research-in-an-Age-of-AI.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T153000
DTSTAMP:20260812T112742Z
CREATED:20260625T115413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T112742Z
UID:10000370-1789653600-1789659000@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Teaching\, Learning\, and the AI University
DESCRIPTION:Artificial intelligence is accelerating change across higher education\, challenging established assumptions about teaching\, assessment\, expertise\, and the value of a university education. As new models of learning emerge\, what should the university of the future look like? Who will shape it\, who will benefit from it\, and what role should universities play in preparing people for a rapidly changing world? This panel will explore how institutions can respond to technological transformation while preserving their educational mission and public purpose.  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nRose Luckin\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRose Luckin is Professor Emerita at University College London and Founder and CEO of Educate Ventures Research (EVR). An internationally recognised expert on artificial intelligence and education\, she has more than 30 years of experience researching how technology can support teaching and learning. Rose advises governments\, policymakers\, and industry on the ethical and effective use of AI in education and is a leading voice on the future of learning in an age of rapid technological change. She is co-founder of the Institute for Ethical AI in Education and the author of several influential books\, including Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of Education for the 21st Century and AI for Schoolteachers.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJanja Komljenovic\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJanja Komljenovic is a Senior Lecturer in Education Futures at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on the political economy of higher education and the digitalisation\, datafication\, and platformisation of universities. Her approach intersects economic sociology\, science and technology studies\, and higher education research. She has published internationally on higher education policy\, higher education markets\, and educational technology. Janja acts as a consultant on various international higher education policy projects\, serves as an evaluator for national quality assurance agencies\, and is a member of committees within international organisations.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAndrew Maynard\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAndrew Maynard is a scientist\, professor\, and author at Arizona State University\, where he directs the Future of Being Human initiative. His work explores the nature of advanced technology transitions from a transdisciplinary perspective\, and spans conceptual understanding of the shifting dynamic between technology\, society and the future\, to what it means to flourish in a technologically-transformed world. While his work addresses many facets of emerging technologies\, he is increasingly focused on both the challenges and opportunities emerging around frontier AI modes; especially where they challenge established ideas around learning\, education\, meaning-making and human identity. Andrew has worked with organizations from the OECD and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research\, to the World Economic Forum; has given testimony to congressional committees on tech innovation; is the author of the books Films from the Future and Future Rising\, and co-author with Jeffrey Abbott of AI and the Art of Being Human. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNoah Sobe\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNoah W. Sobe\, PhD\, is Chief of Section for Higher Education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.  Prior to this appointment he had a two-decade career as a professor at Loyola University Chicago.  He was previously at UNESCO (2019-2022) helping to lead a flagship futures of education initiative.  Additionally\, he is a past president of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) and former co-editor of the journal European Education. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChair: Sian Bayne\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSian Bayne is Professor of Digital Education at the University of Edinburgh. She directs the Centre for Research in Digital Education where her research is currently focused on higher education futures and on interdisciplinary and critical approaches to researching digital education.  
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/teaching-learning-and-the-ai-university/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, Level 0 Event Space\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Future University,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/17-Sept-Teaching-Learning-and-the-AI-University.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T193000
DTSTAMP:20260813T135029Z
CREATED:20260625T115514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260813T135029Z
UID:10000371-1789668000-1789673400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Universities and the Future of Truth: AI\, Free Speech\, and Power
DESCRIPTION:At a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping how information is produced\, distributed\, and consumed\, questions of truth\, trust\, and authority have become increasingly urgent. What happens when AI systems mediate public debate\, generate knowledge\, and influence what we see\, believe\, and share? How should universities respond to a world of contested expertise\, information abundance\, and growing distrust in institutions? Bringing together perspectives on technology\, democracy\, public discourse\, and digital rights\, this discussion will explore the role of universities in defending open inquiry\, fostering critical thinking\, and sustaining the conditions for informed public life.  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nRumman Chowdhury\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRumman Chowdhury\, PhD\, is a globally recognized expert in responsible AI\, governance\, and algorithmic accountability. She is the CEO and founder of Humane Intelligence public benefit corporation\, and the co-founder of Humane Intelligence\, a nonprofit advancing community-driven AI auditing and evaluation. Appointed as the U.S. Science Envoy for Artificial Intelligence\, she engages in global AI governance efforts with a focus on emerging markets. Previously\, she led AI ethics teams at Twitter and Accenture\, pioneering enterprise-level AI risk mitigation tools. Rumman is also a Responsible AI Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center and a trusted advisor to international organisations on AI policy and ethics.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJillian C. York\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJillian C. York is a writer and activist whose work examines the impact of technology on our societal and cultural values. Based in London\, she is the Director for International Freedom of Expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation\, a fellow at the Center for Internet & Human Rights at the European University Viadrina\, a visiting professor at the College of Europe Natolin\, and the author of Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism (Verso 2021).  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJeffrey W. Howard\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJeffrey W. Howard is professor of political philosophy and public policy at University College London\, where he is director of the Digital Speech Lab. He is co-editor of the journal Political Philosophy.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChair: Emily Sullivan\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDr. Emily Sullivan is Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Philosophy. She is the Co-Director of the Centre for Technomoral Futures in the Edinburgh Futures Institute and an Associate Editor for The British Journal of Philosophy of Science. In 2025 she was awarded the Herbert A. Simon Award from the International Association of Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) for outstanding research in computing and philosophy. She is currently the PI on an ERC Starting Grant (2025-2030) that conceptualizes and evaluates machine learning models across science and society as a type of toy model. In this project\, she bridges epistemic and ethical issues in simple computational models with complex modern day machine learning models.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/universities-and-the-future-of-truth-ai-free-speech-and-power/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, Level 0 Event Space\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Future University,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/17-Sept-Universities-and-the-Future-of-Truth_-AI-Free-Speech-and-Power.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T093000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T120000
DTSTAMP:20260820T100515Z
CREATED:20260625T115638Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260820T100515Z
UID:10000372-1789723800-1789732800@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:When Universities Decide: From Collective Inquiry to Public Consequence
DESCRIPTION:Universities are under growing pressure to respond to rapid technological change\, social challenges\, financial constraints\, and shifting public expectations. Yet decisions about the future of higher education are rarely straightforward. How should universities balance competing priorities? What values should guide their choices? And who is affected when difficult decisions are made? \n\n\n\nOrganised by the Una Europa Future University Lab\, this participatory event invites attendees to explore the tensions\, trade-offs\, and responsibilities involved in shaping the university of the future. Through a collaborative workshop\, participants will examine different perspectives on the purpose of the university and consider how institutions navigate competing demands in practice. \n\n\n\nRather than seeking simple answers or easy consensus\, the session will encourage critical reflection on the choices universities face and the consequences those choices carry. Together\, participants will explore what it means not only to imagine the future university\, but to make decisions that help bring it into being. \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nFederica G. Pedriali\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFederica G. Pedriali is Professor of Literary Metatheory and Modern Italian Studies at the University of Edinburgh and a Research Affiliate at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Her work spans continental philosophy\, biopolitics\, narratology\, and political ontology\, with a sustained focus on how collectives organise change\, conflict\, and the conditions of world-making. She has authored or edited twenty-four volumes and is the editor of The Diaphragm of Politics: Roberto Esposito and Italian Thought beyond the Machine (Edinburgh University Press\, in press). Current projects include The Future of Change (forthcoming)\, When Universities Decide (in preparation)\, and The Roberto Esposito Dictionary (in preparation). A former Visiting Professor at Harvard and the University of Pavia\, she leads Europe and the World\, a flagship Una Europa research strand spanning eleven European universities. In 2024\, she was awarded the Knighthood of the Order of the Star of Italy in recognition of her distinguished career. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMateusz Hohol\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMateusz Hohol is Associate Professor at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków\, where he serves as Director of the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and leads the Mathematical Cognition and Learning Lab. Holding a habilitation in psychology and a PhD in philosophy\, his research focuses on cognitive science\, mathematical cognition\, and the study of how minds acquire and process numerical and geometric concepts. He teaches in the Cognitive Science Programme and at the Doctoral School in the Social Sciences at the Jagiellonian University. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJake Broadhurst\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJake Broadhurst is a senior partnerships advisor at The University of Edinburgh and for 2 decades has helped create a wide range of academic-led partnerships.As chair emeritus of Future UniLab\, Jake helped the Una Europa alliance think-tank to explore the future of universities. Before joining The University of Edinburgh\, Jake worked as a project manager for a healthcare NGO in India\, did various roles in TV production in Spain\, DJed\, served as deck-hand on an oyster farm\, and was a countryside ranger. Jake founded TEDx University of Edinburgh and co-founded the World Access to Higher Education Day. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichela Massimi\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichela Massimi is Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh. She is the author of Perspectival Realism (2022\, OUP\, winner of the 2023 Lakatos Award) and co-editor (with A.E. Brown and M. Jaspars of Ways of World Knowing (2026\, OUP). Michela has written extensively on realism and pluralism in science\, among other topics. Her most recent work is on the epistemic value of local knowledges\, their importance for better understanding the participatory nature of scientific knowledge\, and the philosophical foundations of the human right to science. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nShannon Vallor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Shannon Vallor FRSE serves as Co-Director of the Centre for Technomoral Futures at Edinburgh Futures Institute\, and holds the Baillie Gifford Chair in the Ethics of Data and Artificial Intelligence in the University of Edinburgh’s Department of Philosophy. Professor Vallor joined the Futures Institute in 2020 following a career in the United States as a leader in the ethics of emerging technologies\, including a post as a visiting AI Ethicist at Google from 2018-2020. She is the author of The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking (Oxford University Press\, 2024) and Technology and the Virtues: A Philosophical Guide to a Future Worth Wanting (Oxford University Press\, 2016). She serves as advisor to government and industry bodies on responsible AI and data ethics. She is also Principal Investigator and Co-Director (with Professor Ewa Luger) of the UKRI research programme BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides)\, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSoledad Garcia Ferrari \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProfessor Soledad Garcia Ferrari is International Dean for the College of Arts\, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh\, where she leads global collaboration around research\, innovation and education. She has enabled and supported cross-university strategic partnerships such as such as with the MasterCard Foundation and the Una Europa Alliance. Soledad is Professor in Global Urbanism and Resilience and has extensive expertise in sustainable urban planning with a focus on community-empowerment\, participatory and co-creation processes\, towards increasing resilience and adaptation to climate change in urban areas. She is currently Earth Champion for Sustainable Cities at the Edinburgh Earth Initiative. Soledad is also Director of the Centre for Contemporary Latin American Studies\, Soledad through which she has promoted and supported cross-University research collaboration.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/when-universities-decide-from-collective-inquiry-to-public-consequence/
LOCATION:Room 2.55\, Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF
CATEGORIES:Future University,Workshop
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18-Sept-When-Universities-Decide-.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T153000
DTSTAMP:20260720T094348Z
CREATED:20260625T115932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260720T094348Z
UID:10000373-1789740000-1789745400@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Building the University of 2050: Leadership\, Structure\, and Strategy
DESCRIPTION:Universities were built for a different age. As artificial intelligence\, demographic change\, geopolitical uncertainty\, and economic pressures reshape society\, long-established assumptions about how universities are governed\, funded\, organised\, and valued are coming under increasing strain. What kinds of institutions will be needed in 2050? Which traditions should be preserved\, and which structures may need to be reinvented? Bringing together perspectives from higher education leadership and technological change\, this session will ask whether the university as we know it is fit for the decades ahead – and what new models of knowledge\, learning\, and institutional life might emerge by 2050.  \n\n\n\nSpeaker Biographies\n\n\n\n\n\nVivienne Stern\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVivienne Stern took up the role of UUK Chief Executive in September 2022. Vivienne has over 25 years’ experience of working in higher education policy and politics at national and international level. She previously worked for the Chair of the Education Select Committee of the UK Parliament; as a policy specialist and then Head of Political Affairs for Universities UK; and most recently as the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) which represents UK universities around the world. She is a member of the UK Government’s Soft Power Council; the Higher Educational Advisory Group; the Skills Advisory Group and the GREAT Private Sector Council. She is Deputy Chair of the Council for At Risk Academics and chairs its Nominations and Governance Committee. She was awarded an MBE for Services to International Education in the New Years’ Honours List 2022.  In 2021 Vivienne received the European Association of International Educators’ “Vision and Leadership” award. Vivienne is a graduate of the University of Cambridge\, where she studied English Literature.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJamie Bartlett\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJamie Bartlett is one of the UK’s leading technology writers and thinkers. His previous books include The People Vs Tech\, winner of the Transmission Prize and longlisted for the 2019 Orwell Prize for Political Writing\, and The Dark Net. In 2010 Jamie founded a research centre at leading ThinkTank Demos that specialised in designing and applying AI to understand social trends.He has written and presented several hit BBC podcast series\, including The Missing Cryptoqueen\, which reached number 1 in the podcast charts around the world\, and his Ted Talk about the dark net has been watched nearly six million times. He has previously written on the intersection of tech and politics for the Telegraph\, the Spectator\, and the Guardian.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBen Wildavsky\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBen Wildavsky is a visiting fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is the award-winning author of The Great Brain Race (Princeton) and the coeditor of Reinventing Higher Education and Measuring Success. His writing has appeared in The New York Times\, The Wall Street Journal\, The Atlantic\, and many other publications. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChair: Marion Thain\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMarion Thain comes to Edinburgh Futures Institute from her role as Professor of Culture and Technology at King’s College London\, where she was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities for 6 years. While at King’s she founded and led the Digital Futures Institute\, which grew out of her Centre for Attention Studies. She began her career as a Junior Research Fellow at Cambridge University\, and worked in English departments at Russell Group universities before moving to New York University as a professor of Arts and Literature (in English and the school of the interdisciplinary global liberal arts) and Director of Digital Humanities. She returned to the UK in 2018. Marion is interested particularly in the relationship between culture and technology (considering ‘technology’ in the broadest sense)\, and in formations of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/building-the-university-of-2050-leadership-structure-and-strategy/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, Level 0 Event Space\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Future University,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18-Sept-Building-the-University-of-2050.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T180000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T191500
DTSTAMP:20260625T120036Z
CREATED:20260625T120033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T120036Z
UID:10000374-1789754400-1789758900@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Future University: Work and the Next Economy of Knowledge
DESCRIPTION:Artificial intelligence is transforming the world of work\, but its impact is not predetermined. As new technologies reshape professions\, workplaces\, and career paths\, universities face profound questions about the knowledge\, skills\, and values they should cultivate in future generations. How can higher education prepare people not only to adapt to technological change\, but to shape it? In this closing conversation\, Sarah O’Connor draws on her reporting and research into the changing nature of work to explore what makes work meaningful\, what risks we face as technology becomes more deeply embedded in everyday life\, and what role universities should play in building a more human-centred economy.  \n\n\n\n\n\nSarah O’Connor\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSarah O’Connor is a columnist\, reporter and associate editor at the Financial Times. She writes a weekly column focused on the world of work\, as well as longer features and investigations. She has won the Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils\, the Wincott Award for financial journalism\, Business Commentator of the Year at the Comment Awards\, Financial/Economic story of the year at the Foreign Press Awards and Business and Finance Journalist of the year at the British Press Awards.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChair: Marion Thain\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMarion Thain comes to Edinburgh Futures Institute from her role as Professor of Culture and Technology at King’s College London\, where she was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities for 6 years. While at King’s she founded and led the Digital Futures Institute\, which grew out of her Centre for Attention Studies. She began her career as a Junior Research Fellow at Cambridge University\, and worked in English departments at Russell Group universities before moving to New York University as a professor of Arts and Literature (in English and the school of the interdisciplinary global liberal arts) and Director of Digital Humanities. She returned to the UK in 2018. Marion is interested particularly in the relationship between culture and technology (considering ‘technology’ in the broadest sense)\, and in formations of disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity. Details can be found at https://www.marionthain.org 
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/future-university-work-and-the-next-economy-of-knowledge/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, Level 0 Event Space\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
CATEGORIES:Future University,Talk/Discussion
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/18-Sept-Future-University-Work-and-the-Next-Economy-of-Knowledge.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T190000
DTSTAMP:20260824T124028Z
CREATED:20260824T124026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260824T124028Z
UID:10000380-1790096400-1790103600@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Traveltech Meetup
DESCRIPTION:Sports\, Wellness & TravelTech: The Future of Active Travel \n\n\n\n​What happens when sport\, wellness\, travel and technology come together? \n\n\n\n​From major sporting events driving destination visits to the growing popularity of wellness breaks\, active holidays and experience-led travel\, the relationship between sport\, wellness and tourism is evolving rapidly. \n\n\n\n​Our September TravelTech Meetup will explore how technology is helping shape this growing space and the opportunities emerging at the intersection of sport\, wellness and travel. \n\n\n\n​We’ll bring together voices from across the sectors to explore questions including: \n\n\n\n​How is technology changing the sports travel experience?From ticketing and fan experiences to travel planning and destination discovery\, how can technology make it easier to travel for sport? \n\n\n\n​What is the future of wellness tourism?How are data\, AI and personalisation helping travellers discover and design more meaningful wellness and active travel experiences? \n\n\n\n​How can destinations make the most of major sporting events?Beyond the event itself\, how can technology help destinations manage visitor flows\, extend stays and create lasting economic impact? \n\n\n\n​Where are the opportunities for innovation?What new products\, services and experiences are emerging as sport\, wellness and travel increasingly converge? \n\n\n\n​Join us for an evening of discussion\, ideas and networking with people working across TravelTech\, tourism\, sport\, wellness and the wider visitor economy. \n\n\n\n​Whether you’re building technology\, working in sport or wellness\, managing a destination\, or simply interested in where these sectors are heading\, we’d love to have you join the conversation.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/traveltech-meetup/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Traveltech-Meet-up-16_Maddy-Burgoyne.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260925T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260925T153000
DTSTAMP:20260630T150810Z
CREATED:20260630T150621Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T150810Z
UID:10000375-1790344800-1790350200@efi.ed.ac.uk
SUMMARY:Governing AI in higher education: applying human rights to the post-AI condition
DESCRIPTION:This event explores how human rights can meaningfully shape AI governance in higher education and research. It considers higher education broadly\, including teaching\, learning\, research\, knowledge dissemination and academic work\, and frames the discussion through the “post-AI condition”: an environment shaped by socio-technical\, legal\, political-economic and cultural dynamics in which AI is omnipresent\, policy and regulation struggle to keep pace with Big Tech and Big AI\, and human rights are challenged. The event adopts a human rights approach to AI governance as a fundamental layer through which AI affects universities\, students\, academics\, researchers and democratic knowledge systems. Contributions address academic labour and procurement governance\, public AI and the rights to science and education\, data privacy and citizens’ agency\, and the role of higher education institutions in shaping accountable AI.
URL:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/governing-ai-in-higher-education-applying-human-rights-to-the-post-ai-condition/
LOCATION:Edinburgh Futures Institute\, 1 Lauriston Place\, Edinburgh\, EH3 9EF\, United Kingdom
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://efi.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SRHE-event-26-Sept.jpg
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