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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260528T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260528T200000
DTSTAMP:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260626T152625
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:20260917T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260917T113000
DTSTAMP:20260626T152625
CREATED:20260625T115259Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T115301Z
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\nFilippo Menolascina\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFilippo Menolascina holds the Chair of Engineering Biology at the University of Edinburgh. An Electrical Engineer and Computer Scientist by training (BSc ’06\, MSc ’08)\, Prof Menolascina obtained his PhD in 2011 by defending a thesis that provided the first demonstration of in vivo real-time control of a complex synthetic gene network. His doctoral work pioneered the field now known as cybergenetics. As a postdoc at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Prof Menolascina extended these results to the control of complex traits emerging from biomolecular networks\, providing the first demonstration of real-time control of aerotaxis in B. subtilis.   \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:20260626T152625
CREATED:20260625T115413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T115415Z
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\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:20260626T152625
CREATED:20260625T115514Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T115517Z
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: Shannon 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.
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:20260626T152625
CREATED:20260625T115638Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260625T115640Z
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 Personal Chair in 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.
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:20260626T152625
CREATED:20260625T115932Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260626T081021Z
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\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:20260626T152625
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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