King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia’s leading science and technology education and research institution, will host Times Higher Education’s flagship event, the THE World Academic Summit, from Tuesday 7 to Thursday 9 October 2025.
The event, which takes place at KAUST, will focus on the theme: ‘Universities as agents of change.’
The world’s most widely recognised, authoritative and prestigious ranking, THE’s World University Rankings 2026, will be launched at the event. See the results of THE’s World University Rankings 2025, which were released on 9 October here.
The event will tackle key questions facing higher education, including:
- Universities as drivers of innovation and economic development
- Universities as agents of regional collaboration
- Universities as catalysts for cultural preservation and transformation
- Universities as champions of sustainable development
Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer, said: “The THE World Academic Summit 2025 will bring together leaders in higher education to engage with the industry’s most pressing issues. Together, the community will explore opportunities for innovation and commercialisation, outline strategies to shape the next generation of leaders and collaborate to make a meaningful impact on lives around the world.”
Sir Edward Byrne, KAUST president, said: “We are honoured to welcome global leaders in higher education to KAUST for this prestigious summit, which routinely strengthens the cooperative spirit within academia, focusing on making strategic, impactful contributions to global challenges.
“Building on the success of this year’s event, we will continue the tradition of cultivating collaboration and driving global change. This milestone underscores the rising recognition of the role that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can play in building a future for higher education where universities worldwide understand their potential influence for good.”
Sir Edward Byrne, president of KAUST (left), and Phil Baty, chief global affairs officer of THE (right), shaking hands at the THE World Academic Summit 2024.
The event website features information about the event themes and a sign-up form to be kept informed of updates including ticket sales, agenda reveals and speaker announcements.