OXFORD GLOBAL
SCHOLARS SYMPOSIUM
​OxGSS 2026 Agenda
Welcome Note
A very warm welcome to Oxford and to the Oxford Global Scholars Symposium 2026 (OxGSS 2026).
​
Under the theme “The University and Beyond: Holistic Systems for a Changing World,” OxGSS 2026 invites scholars, policymakers, institutional leaders, and practitioners to reflect on the evolving role of tertiary education in a period of profound global change. Rapid technological transformation, shifting labour markets, and geopolitical uncertainty are reshaping not only what universities do, but how they relate to wider educational, economic, and social systems.
​
This year’s symposium moves beyond siloed debates to examine integrated educational ecosystems that can sustain academic preeminence, enhance vocational agility, and foster embedded innovation. We are particularly concerned with how research-intensive universities, applied and technical education, industry partnerships, and innovation cultures can be aligned coherently to meet contemporary and future challenges.
​
OxGSS 2026 provides a platform for critical dialogue on policies, practices, and partnerships that bridge these domains. We welcome theoretical, empirical, and practice-based contributions that advance understanding of how tertiary education systems can become more responsive, inclusive, and impactful in a changing world.
We look forward to welcoming you to Oxford for rigorous discussion, shared inquiry, and forward-looking debate.
​
Dr. James Robson
Director of SKOPE University of Oxford
Oxford Global Scholars Symposium 2026​
Our Programme
Monday 23 March 2026
8:00 9:00
9:00 9:30
9:30 10:00.
10:00. 11:00.
​
​13:00.
14:00. 15:00.
15:00. 17:00
​
​18:30
!9:00
Coffee and Registration
Opening Remarks ： The University and Beyond: From Institutional Autonomy to Systemic
Responsibility
Speaker: David Palfreyman OBE
Keynote 1: Challenges in Higher Education in the UK
Speaker: Prof. Ken Mayhew, University of Oxford
​Round Table Discussion
Guiding questions:
-
What is the university for when knowledge, skills, and innovation are no longer monopolised by universities?
-
Has the locus of educational authority shifted—and if so, to where?
-
What does “systemic responsibility” mean in an era of global uncertainty?
​Lunch at New College
Keynote 2: Vocational Agility and System Alignment
Who Designs Skills in a Volatile World?
Speaker: Dr. James Robson, University of Oxford
Round Table Discussion:
Guilding questions：
-
Can universities remain central to skills formation without becoming training providers?
-
How should vocational and applied education be governed within national and transnational systems?
-
What does meaningful “lifelong learning” look like beyond policy rhetoric?
Drink Reception
Fomal Dinner
Tuesday 24 March 2026
8:00 9:00
9:00 9:30
9:30 11:30.
11:30. 12:00.
Coffee and Registration
Keynote 3: Embedded Innovation or External Disruption?
Where Does Innovation Actually Happen Now?
Speaker: Dr. Steven Puttick, University of Oxford
Round Table Discussion
Guiding questions:
-
Has innovation moved beyond universities, or merely changed form?
-
What does it mean to embed innovation across teaching, research, and governance?
-
How should universities engage with innovation without instrumentalising knowledge?
Closing Remarks：Beyond the University: Towards Coherent Tertiary Education Systems
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.