In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
By Pam Fredman. Social innovation at the University of Gothenburg
Universities play a key role in creating and developing knowledge and in ensuring that knowledge is disseminated and utilized in society. At the University of Gothenburg, students are given a research-based education and are provided with academic skills to be critical, analytical and creative, making them key players in transformation of knowledge and promotion of innovation in all sectors of society. The University’s responsibility to transfer research results to society also includes innovation. In the areas of medicine, the natural sciences and technology, commercialization and technology transfer have long traditions, and innovation models are well established. However, with the ongoing globalization, climate threats, urbanization, digitalization, social segregation and demand on health care, to name some of the challenges society is facing, it is obvious that innovation processes beyond commercialization and technology transfer are required. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
By Dzulkifli Abdul Razak. Future of universities and the need for social innovation
University essentially can be viewed as no more than a platform or a vehicle to organise and deliver “education” as a public good, just like a hospital delivers health care services. Taken this way, there are social institutions creatively designed for the advancement of the community as the overarching worldview. In other words, they are social innovations intended to cope with the changing environment as well as the challenges it poses. For this reason, they are deeply committed to the well-being of members of the community and base the values and norms that they acculturated to enable quality of life to emerge from them in meeting the need of the generations to come. In that sense, they are “whole”, “universal” and “forward-looking” in conjecturing up the idea of learning with the framework of education. The aspiration is to minimally meet the Delors’ four pillars of learning, namely: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
By Hilligje van’t Land. The Role of Higher Education in developing and fostering Social Innovation
Universities are at the heart of knowledge generation, it fosters and values curiosity and critical thinking - or at least should do so; they trigger research, and contribute in essence to the improvement and well-being of societies: they foster innovation and social innovation.
Yet how do they do it? This is the theme of the IAU GMA6 to take place in Montreal in May: Social innovation: challenges and perspectives for higher education.
Definitions of the concept vary, but all focus on its ‘innovative’ dimension by insisting on the association of the concept with ‘new’ knowledge generation, provision of ‘new’ solutions to address ‘new’ and less new but more pressing societal problems; definitions also insist on the fact that social innovation provides ‘better’ answers, financially ‘more’ sound (read ‘less costly’) ‘more’ efficient, ‘more’ sustainable etc. Better, cheaper and now finally providing the real answers society is waiting for? As if solutions to societal problems were not sought by HEIs earlier on? No; but what the papers show is how social innovation is associated with change of mission and vision of higher education more broadly speaking. It is associated with new approaches to how universities used to do what they are supposed to do: teach, educate, research, manage; authors insist on the ‘synergetic’ and cooperative approaches to these. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
Leading Globally Engaged Universities (LGEU)
The IAU is very pleased to launch a unique leadership programme entitled: Leading Globally Engaged Universities (LGEU). The first session will be hosted by the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 15-20 November 2015. The programme will take place two times a year and will move from region to region, hosted by the IAU Members.
The quality of higher education leadership is essential to the well-being of universities but expectations and responsibilities of higher education institutions are expanding while the local and global context is continuously changing, making leadership more complex. Recognizing the challenges, IAU has developed the LGEU programme to support new and future leaders of Higher Education Institutions building on its unique capacity to bring together experts and peers from different parts of the world.. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
IAU Higher Education for EFA (HEEFA) Project: Final report of the Ankara Workshop now published
In November 2014, the IAU Project for better inclusion of higher education (HE) and research for achieving the Education for All (EFA) Goals, otherwise known as HEEFA, discussed its future and provided feedback on the ICT for information accessibility in learning (ICT4IAL) project in which the IAU is a partner at a Workshop held at Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
The report is available at www.iau-aiu.net/content/outcomes-1
For more information on HEEFA, see IAU HEEFA Portal at www. heefa.net and the IAU Portal at www.iau-aiu.net/content/efamdgs The Ankara Workshop was organised by Serap Kerbanoglu (Hacettepe University); Nadja Kymlicka and Isabelle Turmaine (IAU).
For more information on the ICT4IAL Project, see the project’s portal at www.ict4ial.eu or contact Isabelle Turmaine, IAU Director, Information Projects and Services (i.turmaine@ iau-aiu.net). Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
International Conference on Higher Education for Sustainable Development and UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development
Both Conferences were successfully held in Japan at the beginning of November 2014 and saw 700 delegates from higher education institutions, 76 Ministers and Deputy Ministers and 1100 delegates from 148 countries, as well as young people. Both conferences saw a large IAU delegation, including the IAU President, Dzulkifli Abdul Razak of Malaysia, Angelo Riccaboni, University of Siena and Chair IAU Working Group on Higher Education for Sustainable Development, who played very active roles as co-organisers and speakers at high level panels and workshops.
The events integrated the innovative programmes and initiatives focusing on ESD from around the globe. Both Conferences reaffirmed the need to pursue work to foster sustainable development through education, and particularly higher education.
The Declarations are available on the UNU and on the UNESCO conference websites and should be used to support work at all education levels, www.c-linkage.com/for/hesd/declaration.html / www.unesco.org/new/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/HQ/ERI/pdf/ Aichi-Nagoya_Declaration_EN.pdf
The Conference saw the launch of the global report on the Decade on Education for Sustainable Development ‘Shaping the Future We Want’ and the Global Action Programme in support of the post-2015 agenda which also features the IAU commitment. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ images/0023/002301/230171e.pdf / www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco-world-conference-onesd- 2014/esd-after-2014/global-action-programme/launching/. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
IAU Internationalization Strategies Advisory Service (ISAS)
The IAU offers the Internationalization Strategies Advisory Service (ISAS) to institutional leaders and teams interested in developing or reviewing their internationalization policy, strategy and various programs.
Having become renowned for its longstanding history of promoting, studying and documenting trends in internationalization of higher education and for sharing this knowledge globally, and as IAU Members and others seek to increase the level of preparedness of their students for a more globalized world, to offer new mobility opportunities for faculty and staff, to review their curriculum for improved internationalization ‘at home’; to strengthen their strategic research alliances or to develop marketing approaches to attract more exchange or fee paying international students, they have asked IAU for assistance so that they can benefit from the best thinking and practice from institutions around the world, the IAU launched this Internationalization Strategies Advisory Service (ISAS) for institutional internationalization planning and development. Many projects have been completed and new ones are developing.. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
IAU 2015 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE The Internationalization of Higher Education: Moving Beyond Mobility University of Siena, 28-30 October 
Internationalization of higher education (HE) is an important priority for university leaders and other HE stakeholders, including governments themselves. It has been on the IAU agenda for many years and has led the Association to develop policy, research and related services in support of institutional efforts in internationalization. Though it is a frequent theme of conferences, our programmes aims at offering new insights and at inspiring new strategies, initiatives and projects.
Institutional, national and regional policies remain highly focused on only one aspect of the process – mobility, and such a singular focus can overshadow broader long-term goals and the numerous other ways that internationalisation can address them by improving the quality of the different dimensions of HE, and by fully integrating many broader, global challenges into the internationalized curriculum, research, campus life, management, the third mission, etc.
It is likely that internationalization efforts with the greatest potential impact lie with the ‘other’ aspects/activities that promote internationalization. This is why the IAU 2015 International Conference will primarily focus on the internationalisation of higher education beyond mobility. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
IAU VIth GLOBAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATIONS (GMA 6 – 2015) Social innovation: challenges and perspectives for higher Education HEC Montréal, Canada, 6-8 May 
The IAU Global Meetings of Associations (GMAs) are held every two years and organised exclusively for leaders of national, regional and international higher education associations/ organizations and networks. They offer a unique opportunity for them to meet as peers and colleagues to discuss important developments, exchange ideas, practices and to network.
For this edition, IAU is pleased to partner with the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) and the Université de Montréal, longstanding Members of the IAU. The theme chosen for this edition is of growing importance to society and thus to higher education: Social innovation: challenges and perspectives for Higher Education.
The global and local challenges faced by societies and by our shared planet, require innovation in all domains. Usually associated with technology, it is often forgotten that social innovation is also continuously taking place and that it can have an even more lasting impact. Definitions of this concept vary but, generally speaking social innovation is described as a “dynamic that, in response to current clearly defined social needs, offers more appropriate and more sustainable solutions Social innovations taken up by an institution, an organization or a community offer measurable benefits for the collective, rather than simply for certain individuals. The impact of social innovation is transformative and systemic. By its inherent creativity, social innovation represents a break from what is.”
As the need for innovation increases and the expectation that higher education must contribute to it, the theme is of growing interest to all stakeholders in society including universities. Higher education associations are well placed as actors of social innovation and to stimulate discussions about social innovation. The GMA is thus an opportunity for exploring ideas, strategies and success stories about higher education’s involvement in social innovation.
To start debating and to fuel the discussions, please read the papers taken up in the In Focus section of this issue pp. 23-39.. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.

In preparation for the IAU Global Meeting of Associations 6, this issue - IAU Horizons, 21, 1 - offers reports on IAU priority areas, new projects and initiatives, especially LGEU, and upcoming events and conferences.
BY FOCUSING THIS ISSUE OF IAU HORIZONS, AS WELL AS THE 6th GLOBAL MEETING OF ASSOCIATIONS ON THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL INNOVATION, we hope to stimulate a discussion among university associations and their member institutions about this increasingly popular, but still ambiguous concept. Almost every article in this issue begins by presenting a few definitions of social innovation before stating that there is no real consensus on what it means exactly, how to examine its impact critically, what key characteristics must be present to qualify a change in practice or a new product or service as a social innovation. Furthermore, with the growing popularity of the idea of Social Innovation, scepticism also surfaces, with some arguing that social innovation is not positive, on the contrary, some aspects can be downright negative, especially if social innovation comes to be seen as a way to avoid addressing power imbalances and a substitute for real political change.
From issues of definition, to case studies and examples, to warnings not to be lulled into thinking that social innovation is the panacea for all societal ills, the authors in this issue start the debate that we hope to have in Montreal, during the GMA, where an additional dimension is, of course, the exploration of what the universities’ role might be in this area. A key aspect of social innovation is to empower people to improve their own and others’ lives in an enduring and sustainable manner. Higher education contributes to such a process is both direct and indirect ways, not least of which is by studying, critically assessing and disseminating findings about these processes so that they can be either replicated, scaled up or, on the contrary, abandoned.
Since innovation – in all domains – is a perpetual process in which education and research are central, and as the concept of social innovation grows in importance and popularity, universities and their associations will be expected to engage actively in defining and contributing to these processes.
In the following pages you can also read about the newest IAU programme entitled Leading Globally Engaged Universities, the on-going expansion of the IAU Internationalization Strategies Advisory Services (ISAS) projects, a report on the recent Seminar on Doctoral education in Sub-Saharan Africa and many other activities.
As the 2015 International Conference nears, we are also pleased to present more information about the conference programme planned for Siena, Italy and to remind you about the IAU-Palgrave MacMillan Research Essay Competition which is in line with the October 2015 Conference theme: Internationalization of higher education: moving beyond mobility.
Rounding out the issue, you will once again find a list of new IAU Members, some selected new publications and other regular sections.
We hope you enjoy reading IAU Horizons and invite you to suggest themes and offer contributions for future editions! Eva Egron-Polak. Download IAU Horizons, 21, 1.