Higher Education for a Sustainable Future: 2030 and Beyond
Higher education systems play a central role in societal development through scientific knowledge production, the cultivation of qualified human resources and active citizens, and community engagement. As an open and complex system, higher education operates in constant interaction with society, the economy, culture, politics, and the environment. Therefore, while higher education institutions have the potential to shape the future of societies, higher education policies are formed around the socio-economic transformation paradigms of their time.
The current reflection of this dynamic is the closer alignment of higher education policies with sustainable development goals, driven by the increasing impacts of climate change and a stronger commitment to sustainability. This shift can be summarized as a transition from the neoliberal motto of “higher education for the global knowledge economy” (dominant since the 1990s) to “higher education for sustainable development.”
The sustainability agenda offers a powerful transformative potential for higher education policies and the institutional mission of universities across three main dimensions:
- Addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development
- Establishing a new social contract in response to the challenges of neoliberalism.
- Offering a new strategic framework for societies and universities in times of uncertainty.
While Quality Education (SDG 4) and Gender Equality (SDG 5) are the goals most directly related to higher education, the “higher education for sustainable development” approach expects universities to play an active role in all sustainable development goals.
This transformation is currently visible in several key developments:
- The strategic plans and policy documents of universities are increasingly linking research, education, and community service activities with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Alternative institutional concepts and models, such as the “sustainable university” and the “ecological university,” are emerging.
- International ranking systems have begun measuring green campus initiatives and sustainability activities.
- The twin green and digital transitions are gaining significant weight in research funding.
As the target year of 2030 for the Sustainable Development Goals approaches, the progress made toward these goals and the strategy for the post-2030 era are major topics of discussion among international organizations, particularly UNESCO. Therefore, the 9th International Higher Education Studies Conference (IHEC 2026) will focus on the following core sub-themes under the overarching theme of “Higher Education for a Sustainable Future”:
- Sustainable university and ecological university models
- Sustainability-oriented transformation of universities’ research, education, and community service missions
- Integration of sustainability into curricula across different academic fields (sustainability education)
- Integration of sustainability dimensions into quality assurance systems
- Climate change strategies and action plans of universities
- Green campus and “living lab” applications in universities
- Sustainability metrics in international rankings
- The relationship between artificial intelligence, digital transformation, sustainability, and higher education
- Higher education scenarios for the post-2030 era
Furthermore, the fact that the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) will be held in Turkey in November 2026 provides a significant motivation to focus on the transformative power of higher education for a sustainable future.
As YÖÇAD (Association for Higher Education Studies), we are pleased to collaborate under this shared theme with Anadolu University, which has served as an international model since its establishment through its contributions to lifelong learning and distance education, and continues to pioneer sustainability studies in various fields today.
General Conference Topics
The conference program is not limited to the main theme above; it is open to submissions on the following fundamental agendas of higher education studies:
- Academic freedoms and university autonomy
- Academic experiences and needs
- Science and technology policies
- Science communication
- Regional development and higher education
- Digitalization and artificial intelligence in education and research
- Entrepreneurship, community contribution, development, and sustainability
- Graduate student experiences and needs
- Micro-credentials and flexible learning
- Faculty training and development policies
- Higher education for the Sustainable Development Goals
- Mental health and well-being of university stakeholders
- University-city relationships
- University-industry/private sector collaboration and helix ecosystems
- Undergraduate student experiences and needs
- Experiences of foundation (private) universities
- New generation universities and alternative university models
- Internationalization of higher education
- Ethics, principles, and values in higher education
- Quality assurance in higher education
- Pedagogical and andragogical approaches in higher education
- Access to higher education, equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion
- History and philosophy of higher education
- Mission, vision, and role of higher education
- Higher education systems and governance
- Massification of higher education
- Financing and sustainability of higher education