JGU unites global academia at World University Leaders Forum launch in Davos
OP Jindal Global University (JGU) is launching the World University Leaders Forum (WULF) which will convene at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Davos on January 22, 2026.
WULF will bring together distinguished academics and university leaders from around the world to engage in dialogue, share best practices, and collaborate on shared global challenges facing higher education and society.
Inspired by India’s civilisational heritage of higher learning and guided by philanthropist Naveen Jindal, JGU has made internationalisation and cross-border engagement central to its institutional DNA.
WULF provides a democratic global platform through which universities from the global North and the global South can interact, learn from one another, and co-create innovative solutions.
The Forum aims to promote collaborative initiatives that address shared challenges, strengthen academic linkages worldwide, and encourage universities to play a proactive role in advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through teaching, research, policy engagement, community outreach and global partnerships.
The World University Leaders Forum at the World Economic Forum, Davos, will be chaired and moderated by Vice-Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India, Prof (Dr) C Raj Kumar.
The distinguished speakers will include President, Pace University, New York, USA, Prof Marvin Krislov, Assistant Chancellor for Global Partnerships and Impact, Abu Dhabi University, UAE, Prof Sherine Farouk, Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, SOAS University of London, UK, Prof Joanna Newman, Dean, Keio University Graduate School of Media Design, Tokyo, Japan, Prof Masa Inakage and Executive Director, QS Quacquarelli Symonds, London, UK, Dr Ashwin Fernandes.
Professor (Dr) C Raj Kumar said,
“OP Jindal Global University was founded through the visionary philanthropy of Mr Naveen Jindal, grounded in the belief that higher education must connect minds, cultures, and ideas to serve humanity. Over the last two decades, JGU has built a globally connected university—anchored in over 600 partnerships across more than 80 countries, and rooted in dialogue, collaboration, and mutual respect. Today, we launch the World University Leaders Forum at Davos to institutionalise this global engagement in a purpose-driven platform where universities from the Global North and Global South can interact, learn from one another, and lead together....The World University Leaders Forum (WULF) envisions a globally connected, inclusive, and democratic higher education ecosystem where universities from all regions of the world collaborate to advance knowledge, address global challenges, and contribute meaningfully to the public good. We, at JGU, have sought to demonstrate that internationalisation in higher education is about building enduring intellectual, institutional, and human connections across borders.”
WULF aims to
create an open and inclusive global platform for university leaders to engage in dialogue on critical issues facing higher education and society;
foster collaboration across the Global North and Global South, East and West;
enable universities to contribute collectively to sustainable development, social progress, global well-being, and
promote the role of universities as agents of knowledge creation,
dissemination, equity, and innovation.
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