Second Africa–Europe CoRE Conference

Registration is now closed

If you have any questions regarding the registration form or require assistance, please get in touch with the University of Glasgow Events Team externalrelations-events@glasgow.ac.uk

Funding model

The Guild and ARUA Steering Group of Vice Presidents and Deputy Vice Chancellors has agreed that the funding model for this conference is for travel and accommodation to be paid for by each participant’s home institution.

• The CoRE initiative’s guidelines for institutional funding PDF 

Each institution has made written resource commitments to be part of a CoRE. Travel for collaboration meetings, such as this conference, are part of that initiative. CoRE participants are encouraged to refer to their institution’s letters of commitment when making travel requests in their institution.

There is no centralised or third-party funding available for travel or accommodation to this conference.

If a CoRE has secured third-party funding that can cover mobility, or they have established a collective mobility budget, participants are invited to discuss whether such funds can be allocated to the conference with their CoRE co-leads and partners.

All sessions will be held in or close to the Main Building at the Gilmorehill Campus. The venues are: The Bute Hall; Adam Smith Business School; Advanced Research Centre (The ARC); the James McCune Smith Learning Hub and the Wolfson Medical Centre. A map will be included in delegate packs and on the website in due course. Sessions marked with * are hybrid and can be joined virtually. 

Day 1 - Sunday 14 June

Day 2 – Monday 15 June

Day 3 – Tuesday 16 June

Day 4 – Wednesday 17 June

CoRE meeting arrangements

Tuesday 16 June, 14:00 - 17:00 

Wednesday 17 June, 09:00 - 10:30 

ASN

Arranging CoRE dinners

Glasgow has one of the UK’s most exciting food scenes, with many good restaurants, bars and cafes close to the University. 

Elegant dining

• Cail Bruich Michelin-starred modern Scottish fine dining in the West End. 
• Ubiquitous Chip A Glasgow institution on Ashton Lane since 1971. Atmospheric and iconic.
• Royâ Stylish Middle Eastern dining in the city centre with bold flavours and elegant interiors (Halal).

Classic Glasgow favourites

• Bothy Scottish charm with hearty classics and warm hospitality.
• Stravaigin A long-established and much-loved West End bar and restaurant, known for its lively atmosphere, excellent wine and whisky selection, and creative food inspired by global flavours with Scottish ingredients.
• The Left Bank Relaxed neighbourhood favourite for casual dining with good gluten-free options

International flavours

• Saffron by Paradise Well-loved Persian cuisine with generous hospitality and vibrant dishes (Halal)
• Gloriosa Mediterranean small plates and stylish west-end dining.
• Mother India's Cafe A long-established Glasgow favourite in the West End, known for its innovative Indian small-plates concept inspired by tapas (Halal)

Seafood

• Crabshakk Botanics Outstanding seafood close to Glasgow Botanic Gardens.

Vegetarian 

• Sylvan Creative vegetable-led dining and natural wines. One of Glasgow’s most talked-about spots.

Pizza

• Paesano Pizza Legendary Neapolitan pizza in the west end. Fast, lively, and delicious.

Dining & Entertainment

• Òran Mór Historic converted church with bar, restaurant, and live performances

Should you require assistance in making a booking, please contact externalrelations-events@glasgow.ac.uk who will be happy to facilitate your booking.

The University of Glasgow does not endorse any individual establishments and recommends that you confirm any dietary and/or access requirements at the time of booking.

Professor Andy Schofield

Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow

Professor Andy Schofield is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, having assumed the role on 1 October 2025. Prior to joining the University of Glasgow, Professor Schofield served as Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University from May 2020. His earlier career includes senior leadership roles at the University of Birmingham, where he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. His academic interest focuses on theoretical condensed matter physics. Professor Schofield specialises in correlated quantum systems, including non-Fermi liquids, quantum criticality, and high-temperature superconductivity. 

Professor John Gyapong

Secretary-General, the African Research Universities Alliance 

Professor John Gyapong is the Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), bringing to the role a distinguished record of leadership, scholarship, and commitment to advancing research and higher education across Africa. Before his current appointment, he served as Vice Chancellor of the University of Health and Allied Sciences from 2016 to 2022, and as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at the University of Ghana from 2011 to 2016. He has also held the position of Adjunct Professor of Global Health at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Professor Anders Hagfeldt

Chair of the Guild and Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University

Professor Anders Hagfeldt is Vice-Chancellor of Uppsala University since 2021 and Professor of Physical Chemistry. He obtained his PhD at Uppsala University in 1993 and was a postdoc with Professor Michael Grätzel (1993–­­­1994) at EPFL, Switzerland. His research has focused on the fields of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC), perovskite solar cells (PSC) and solar fuels. His research includes physical chemical approaches for fundamental understanding of electronic properties and dynamics of materials, interfaces and devices, materials science and device development, and development of up-scalable manufacturing methods. 

Professor Peter Maassen

Professor of Higher Education and Science Policy, University of Oslo

Professor Peter Maassen is professor in Higher Education Studies and deputy head/research coordinator at the Department for Educational Research, Faculty of Education, University of Oslo, where he also is the academic coordinator of an Erasmus Mundus joint Master Degree programme. His areas of academic specialization include the public governance (including policy reform and institutional change) of higher education; university leadership and management; organisational change in higher education; and the economic role of higher education institutions, in OECD countries, as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Professor Sizwe Mabizela

Chair of ARUA and Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University

Prof. Sizwe Mabizela is Vice-Chancellor of Rhodes University and the Board Chair of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA). He previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Academic and Student Affairs and senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town in mathematics and applied mathematics. Prof Mabizela is a Mathematician, and his research field is Abstract Approximation Theory, a subfield of Functional Analysis. He is a professional member of many international mathematical societies including the SA, American and Japanese Mathematical Societies, and is a member of the Association of Black Scientists, Engineers & Technologists.

Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin

Vice President, International, Engagement and Service, King’s College London

Professor ’Funmi Olonisakin is Vice President, International, Engagement and Service (IES) at King’s College London. She is also Professor of Security, Leadership and Development at the African Leadership Centre in the School of Global Affairs at King’s and Co-chair of the Board, King’s Global Health Partnerships. In her role as Vice President IES, Professor Olonisakin seeks to facilitate the deployment of King’s assets (including knowledge, scholarship and talent in service of society) locally, nationally and internationally, to enable transformative and lasting impact. 

Professor Jan Palmowski

Secretary-General, The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities

Jan Palmowski has been Secretary-General of The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities since its creation in 2016. A contemporary historian, he started his career at the University of Oxford before moving to King’s College London where he taught European politics and EU integration. He was Head of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at King’s College London (2008-12), and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Academic Vice-President at the University of Warwick from 2013 to 2018. He is Professor at the University of Warwick, and adjunct Professor at the University of Oslo.

Professor Chris Pearce

Vice-Principal for Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of Glasgow

Professor Chris Pearce is responsible for research strategy and policy development, working in collaboration with our four academic colleges. Chris is also Professor of Computational Mechanics in the James Watt School of Engineering and holds the Royal Academy of Engineering / EDF Energy Research chair. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and a Chartered Engineer. He is co-Director of the Glasgow Computational Engineering Centre, on the Board of the Scotland 5G Centre and the Board of the Scottish Research Partnership of Engineering.

Professor Steph Scholten

Director of the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

Steph Scholten as Director of The Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery at the University of Glasgow, a position he has held since 2016. Steph was previously Director of Heritage Collections at the University of Amsterdam. An art historian by background with an international reputation in cultural heritage and museum collections and over 30 years of experience in the cultural sector, Steph provides overall leadership for The Hunterian. 

Professor Christopher Smith

Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council

Professor Christopher Smith is the Executive Chair of the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Christopher was previously Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews where he was also Dean of Arts (2002 to 2006), Provost of St Leonard’s College and Dean of Graduate Studies (2006 to 2009), and Proctor and Vice-Principal (2007 to 2009). Professor Smith’s research explores constitutionalism and state formation, with particular emphasis on the development of Rome as a political and social community and how this was represented in ancient historical writing and subsequent political thought.