In today’s rapidly evolving environment shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), changing labour market demands, and broader societal transformations, the demands for knowledge and skills acquired through formal education are undergoing significant shifts. The recent emergence of AI has brought the concept of “future skills”, along with related competency frameworks, back to the centre of international education and policy debates. These developments raise important questions about how Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) can prepare students and graduates for increasingly uncertain futures. How can AI be integrated into higher learning in ways that preserve academic integrity and sustain students’ curiosity, judgment, and creativity? How should universities reconsider their structures and organisation as AI becomes part of their daily practice? And what is the value of a university degree in an age where AI can provide access to knowledge and learning support that was once exclusive to universities? These questions reflect broader discussions in international higher education policy on digital transformation and future skills development, and require HEIs to rethink their strategies, policies and practices in response to the realities of the AI era.

The DIES Forum aims to bring together DIES alumni and NMT alumni to share views and perspectives on recent developments in higher education, as well as to exchange practices and discuss pressing issues in the dynamic field of higher education management and its capacity building from an inter-regional perspective. The Forum is hosted by the University of Potsdam in Germany and carried out in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK), and the German partner institutions, which are implementing training courses in the DIES Programme, i.e. Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Leibniz University Hannover, University of Applied Science Osnabrück, and Saarland University.