IREG 2023 Annual Conference
Rankings and University International Exposure
Introduction to IREG 2023. Global rankings have been a stable phenomenon for over 20 years, major global rankings kept their methodology stable and still rely mainly on research and reputation. However, rankings are now under pressure as the world has faced tremendous global challenges. The climate crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian war on Ukraine, all of which impact higher education. University rankings do not exist in a vacuum; to be meaningful, they need to reflect the changes in higher education on a global as well as regional scale. The IREG 2023 Conference will be a forum to discuss rankings response to the above mentioned changes. It will consider rankings ability to identify indicators and data that focus on societal challenges and major global issues. The conference will pay special attention to ambitions of universities of Central Asia striving to improve their place on the global higher education landscape.
27 April (Thursday)
9.30 – 10.00 OPENING Session
- Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan
- Waldemar Siwinski, President of IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence, Poland
10.00 – 10:20 Special guest
- Komiljon Karimov, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan: - A place of University in the Uzbekistan new Strategy (tbc)
10.20 – 11.00 Academic keynote address
- Seeram Ramakrishna, National University of Singapore, Singapore: Where is science heading? The main challenges before today’s scientists.
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break
11.30 – 12.30 SECOND SESSION
University and Rankings – A difficult neighborhood?
Chair: Luiz Costa, Rector, IESB University, Brasil
Invited speakers:
- Alojzy Nowak, Rector, University of Warsaw, Poland
- Mustafa Versan KÖK, President, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
- Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, President, Qatar University (tbc)
13.00 – 14.00 Lunch
14.00 – 15.00 -THIRD SESSION
Rankings – competition and social responsibility
Chair: Gero Federkeil, Vice President of IREG Observatory, Head of U-Multirank, Germany
Invited speakers:
- Anne Spiegel, German Rectors Conference (HRK), Germany
- Representative of European University Association (tbc)
15:00 – 16:30 FOURTH SESSION
The World of Rankings in difficult times
Chair of the session: Alex Usher, President, Higher Education Strategy Associates, Canada:
Invited speakers:
- Lachyn Italmazova, Commercial Director - UK & Europe at Times Higher Education (THE World University Ranking)
- Ying Cheng, President & CEO, Shanghai Ranking Consultancy (Shanghai Ranking)
- Ben Sowter, Senior Vice President QS (QS World University Rankings)
- Bob Morse , Chief of Data, US News & World Report (USN Global University Rankings)
16:30 – 16:45 Coffee break
16:45 – 17:45 FIFTH SESSION
A new Higher Education landscape of Central Asia
Chair: Ulugbek Tashkenbayev, Head of State Inspectorate for Supervision of Quality in Education, Uzbekistan (tbc)
Invited speakers:
- Alisher Shadmanov , Rector, Tashkent Medical Academy, Uzbekistan (tbc)
- Mukhambetkali (Mukash) Burkitbayev, First Vice-Rector, Al Farabi University in Almaty, Kazakhstan
- Mamadamon Abdulloev, Vice-Rector, Tajik National University of Technology in Duszanbe, Tajikistan
19.30 – 22:00 Conference Gala Dinner
28 April (Friday)
09.30 – 10:00 - Second Day Keynote Speaker
- Alex Usher, President, Higher Education Strategy Associates, Canada: - Breakthrough changes in global higher education and a place for modernized rankings
10:00 – 11:00 FIFTH SESSION
International university cooperation: impact on research quality and university visibility - how it is done in Europe
Chair: Gyorgy Fabri, ELTE Etvos Lorand University in Budapest, Hungary
Invited speakers:
- Marian Preda, Rector, University of Bucharest, Romania
- Representative of European Commission (tbc)
11.00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:45 SIXTH SESSION
The role of research in rankings
Chair: Habib Fardoun, Professor at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Invited speakers:
- Rachel Martin, Global Director of Sustainability at Elsevier (The Netherlands)
- Marek Pawelczyk, Vice Rector, Silesian University of Technology, Poland
- Isidro Aquillo, Head of Webometrics
12:45 – 13.00 CLOSING Session
- Komiljon Karimov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation of Uzbekistan
- Waldemar Siwinski, President of IREG Observatory, Poland
13:00-14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 IREG General Assembly
