OPEN COST Action chair Katja Brøgger and vice chair Hannah Moscovitz launched the conference by presenting their vision for the future study of the geopolitics of higher education and research. Drawing on insights from their work with the Asserting the Nation project at Aarhus University, they center academic freedom and institutional autonomy as a central area of study for this emerging discipline.

Following the opening keynote, Thomas Ekman Jørgensen and Anna-Lena Claeys-Kulik from the European University Association introduced forecasts for the future of the university.

Professor Ole Wæver from University of Copenhagen gave the last talk of the day, deepening the understanding of geopolitics and emphasising the importance of super power rivalry, global south post-colonial assertiveness and planetary threats.

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