As part of the work of a project entitled, The role of universities in developing skills for Smart Cities, funded by the Scottish Funding Council from its contribution to the University of Glasgow’s efforts to develop activities concerned with the Global Challenges Research Fund, a team of staff from the University of Glasgow recently presented at a Roundtable hosted by the International University of Kyrgyzstan (IUK) in Bishkek in conjunction with Glasgow’s Centre for Research and Development in Adult and Lifelong Learning (CR&DALL).

Learning ecosystems are getting smarter and play a central role in regional development and social innovation. “Smart,” thus, are not simply technology-enhanced learning ecosystems but, rather, learning ecosystems that promote the multidimensional well-being of all players of learning processes (i.e., students, professors, administrative personnel and technicians, territorial stakeholders, and, for the schools, parents) and that contribute to the increase of the social capital of a “region,” also thanks to the mediation of the technologies.

The Talloires Network, the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) and the UNESCO Chair in Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education on November 15, 2018 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the occasion of the Conference of the International Association for Universities (IAU) has taken the lead in publishing the Eighth Big Tent Global Communique. On the occasion the topic is the UN SDGs and the role of HEIs.

The Project for Public Spaces connects people who share a passion for public spaces. Here is a special appeal: