The Higher Education Institutions Conference (HEIC), held on September 19-20, 2024, in Dubrovnik, brought together participants from various European countries, including Croatia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Poland, Estonia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, Ukraine, Slovenia, and Sweden. The conference program was rich and diverse, providing an opportunity to discuss current topics in higher education and the application of artificial intelligence.
The HEIC conference has been held annually since 2013, when the Zagreb School of Economics and Management received the prestigious AACSB accreditation, thus confirming the quality of its study programs. With the goal of promoting a high-quality higher education system, the Zagreb School of Economics and Management, together with its partners, organizes the HEIC conference once a year. This year’s conference once again affirmed its status as an important event for networking and development in the education sector.
This year’s conference hosted Professor Izabela Grabowska, PhD, from Kozminski University, who introduced participants to the new European university alliance – EUonAIR. The partners of EUonAIR believe that artificial intelligence is shaping our future, while the future of Europe depends on how data is used and protected. In November 2023, the European Parliament passed the AI Act, globally recognized as a key set of rules for managing AI risks and promoting its development. In response, EUonAIR established an alliance of European universities with the aim of advancing education on so-called Collaborative AI within the European Education Area. In July of this year, ZSEM became part of EUonAIR.
The presentation was delivered by Professor Micael Dahlen from the Stockholm School of Economics, focusing on the topic of happiness and well-being, titled “The Pursuit of Happiness: Myth or Reality?”
The conference continued with a lecture by Professor Thomas Bieger, PhD, former president of the University of St. Gallen, on strategies for higher education institutions. This was followed by panel discussions on the strategic challenges in education and innovations with artificial intelligence. Participants discussed the future of science and research, emphasizing how AI can shape the development of higher education institutions.
We would like to extend our gratitude to all our partners from the EUonAIR project, including Professor Aleksandra Przegalińska, PhD, from Kozminski University, who participated in one of our panels titled “Innovating with AI: The Next Frontier in Science & Research.” We also thank Professor Ralf Dillerup, PhD, from Heilbronn University Graduate School, who was part of the panel titled “Strategic Challenges of the Higher Education System.”
This event, organized by the Zagreb School of Economics and Management in collaboration with the Luxembourg School of Business, with the support of AACSB and Netokracija, reaffirms HEIC’s position as a leading platform for networking and advancing education and AI-driven innovations.
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