The University of Cape Town will host the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit (WAS) in Cape Town from 29 September to 1 October 2026 in a landmark co-hosting agreement with the University of Bristol, as part of a long-standing strategic partnership between the two universities. This will be the first THE World Academic Summit to be hosted on African soil, a historic gathering that will showcase African universities’ rising influence in innovation and research in the global higher education landscape. The 2026 summit, themed: “Knowledge, justice and futures: Universities in the age of intelligence” will gather global leaders in higher education, research, policy, business and civil society to explore how universities can harness intelligence - human, artificial and collective – to shape fairer, more sustainable and future-ready societies.

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Agenda and themes

View the agenda.

• The future university: Purpose, people, pedagogy and planet
• Universities and societies: Trust, justice and public good
• Reframing global collaboration: Equity, co-creation and resilient societies
• Ethical AI, access and innovation

View more information on the themes.

Hosts