- What are the key drivers of global innovation?
- Do we have the right vision of impact?
- Does impact create resilience?
- Do we know what we need?
- How universities can create a national innovation culture
- Regulating responsibly – is there a role for universities?
- Assessing impact – where can universities make the greatest intervention?
- Lean innovation – the value of diversity
- Innovative environments and creating new impact
- The role of research universities in creating impact
- How universities can align their research policies with national agendas
- Research-based entrepreneurship as a driver of growth
- Universities, policymakers and business leaders collaborating to better address complex global issues
ABOUT THE SUMMIT
19–22 APRIL 2021
Thank you to everyone who joined us online for the THE Innovation & Impact Summit 2021, hosted in partnership with The University of Auckland and The Pennsylvania State University.
The global outbreak of Covid-19 has disrupted life as we know it. Now, more than ever, society is looking to the global research community to respond to the emerging existential challenges to global development, and our survival. Over this four-day summit we examined the critical factors for supporting research impact based around these agenda themes:
The summit also featured the exclusive live reveal of the THE Impact Rankings 2021, a global performance table that assesses universities against the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To support the launch of the THE Impact Rankings 2021, we have put together a set of videos in which we describe the 17 SDGs and why they are relevant for higher education.
NEXT YEAR'S SUMMIT
What makes a successful innovation climate?
26-28 April 2022 | Stockholm, Sweden
We are delighted to be partnering with KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, for the THE Innovation & Impact Summit 2022. The summit will unite leaders of the best and most ambitious universities with policymakers, world-class researchers and the companies that are shaping our future, around the contribution that higher education institutions can make to a successful, prosperous and sustainable innovation ecosystem.
The summit will also feature the exclusive reveal of the THE Impact Rankings 2022, along with a masterclass to identify the best-performing institutions and respond to audience questions and critique of the findings and the methodology.
Keynote speeches, participatory debates, industry visits, case studies and panel discussions will support attendees as they consider these key themes:
OUR EVENTS IN 2020

24,861
DELEGATES REGISTERED

4,624
ORGANISATIONS PARTICIPATED

147
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
PREVIOUS SUMMITS
22 April 2020
The impact of universities in 2020
The THE Innovation & Impact Summit 2020 took place online. We were honoured to host delegates from over 100 countries to share the amazing ways in which universities are impacting the world around them, especially during this time of immense global challenge. The summit also saw the exclusive reveal of the THE Impact Rankings 2020.
2-4 April 2019
The transformation of universities' impact in the fourth industrial revolution
The THE Innovation & Impact Summit 2019 took place in Daejeon, South Korea, in partnership with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). It brought together leading experts to unravel the opportunities, challenges, successes and risks of this new world, and featured the reveal of the inaugural THE Impact Rankings 2019.
During three days of critical keynotes and panel debates, networking events and workshops, we tackled the most pressing concerns for leaders on the culture of artificial intelligence, the nature of industry collaboration, and the development of future learning infrastructure.
Key discussion themes:
31 May - 2 June 2017
Powering universities' economic and social impact through innovative research and teaching
The inaugural THE Innovation & Impact Summit in 2017 took place in Hong Kong, in partnership with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It was attended by over 200 leaders, experts and decision-makers from some of the world’s best and most innovative universities in 32 countries to set the agenda on how to innovate towards creating greater impact.
Delegates participated in discussion and debate on topics including leading for impact, entrepreneurship and empowering future leaders, as well as looking at the social impact of higher education and how impact and innovation can be measured.