On 27 and 28 March, York University and Toronto Metropolitan University were pleased to co-host a delegation of Swedish university leaders for two days of thoughtful discussion on international research collaboration, science diplomacy and strategic partnerships. At TMU, York’s Pina D'Agostino and Ravi de Costa were excellent panelists, helping to frame how universities can act as strategic actors in a changing geopolitical environment and how institutional priorities can be scaled internationally.
York was proud to welcome the Swedish delegation to Keele Campus for a program that included opening remarks from Interim President Lisa Philipps and Vice-President Research and Innovation Amir Asif, a rich discussion on research security in a dynamic global risk environment, and a forward-looking session on strategic research partnerships between Canada and Sweden towards Horizon 2027 and beyond.
The breadth of Canadian research excellence was exemplified by colleagues including York researchers Satinder Kaur Brar, Michaela Hynie, Ali Asgary, Eric Kennedy and Tara Haas, alongside TMU researchers Rania Hamza, Elsayed Elbeshbishy, Abbas Ghasemi. The day closed with a strong panel on strategic international partnership development featuring Anders Hagfeldt, Vice Chancellor at Uppsala University, President and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities Steve Orsini and Douglas Proctor, PhD
We were delighted to be part of these conversations and look forward to building on the connections and opportunities that emerged from the visit from our valued Swedish colleagues.
Many thanks to Stockholm University, Sveriges universitets- och högskoleförbund (SUHF), Linnaeus University, Luleå University of Technology, University of Gothenburg, Sophiahemmet University, Södertörn University, Swedish Red Cross University, Uppsala University, Mälardalen University, Umeå University, Örebro University, University West, Blekinge Institute of Technology, Marie Cederschiöld University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ), Karolinska Institutet, Kristianstad University and Konstfack.
