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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260527T100000
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DTSTAMP:20260606T223144
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UID:10000355-1779876000-1779886800@efi.ed.ac.uk
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:20260606T223144
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:20260606T223144
CREATED:20260409T134034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260604T113359Z
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/web-of-influence_elise-recine_the-bigger-picture_5430x3705.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260606T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260606T170000
DTSTAMP:20260606T223144
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:20260606T223144
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:20260606T223144
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/
LOCATION:Edinburgh
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:20260606T223144
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:20260618T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260618T200000
DTSTAMP:20260606T223144
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:20260606T223144
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
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