PROGRAMME
ICT Directors' Forum 2027 | Programme
Day One: Thursday, 21st January 2027
Opening, AI and research infrastructure, then cybersecurity and institutional AI readiness.
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00to 09:00 | Arrival and registration RENU Secretariat | |
| 09:00to 09:10 | Opening remarks and official openingForum Chair and RENU Chief Executive Officer | Forum Chair and RENU Chief Executive Officer |
| 09:10to 09:25 | Guest of HonourRemarks by the Guest of HonourProf. Mary J. N. OkwakolExecutive Director, National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) | Prof. Mary J. N. OkwakolExecutive Director, National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) |
| 09:30to 09:45 | Group photographAll participants | All participants |
| 09:45to 10:30 | Opening keynotePreparing institutions for the AI eraDavor OrličChief Operations Officer International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) | Davor OrličChief Operations Officer International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI) |
| 10:30to 11:00 | Tea break | |
| Session 1: AI and Research Infrastructure | ||
| 11:00to 11:30 | Institutional readiness for AI: computing, storage and research support | |
| 11:30to 12:00 | Shared AI resources and research cloud servicesRENU and partners | RENU and partners |
| 12:00to 12:30 | Institutional case study: building AI research capacityInstitutional presenter | Institutional presenter |
| 12:30to 13:00 | Discussion: affordable access and collaboration across institutionsSession presenters and participants | Session presenters and participants |
| 13:00to 14:00 | Lunch | |
| Session 2: Cybersecurity and Institutional AI Readiness | ||
| 14:00to 14:30 | AI-enabled threats, cyber defence and securing institutional AI toolsCybersecurity specialistISACA | Cybersecurity specialistISACA |
| 14:30to 14:45 | Institutional case study: strengthening cybersecurity capabilitiesInstitutional presenter | Institutional presenter |
| 14:45to 15:45 | ICT Directors’ PanelLeading the AI-Ready InstitutionReadiness, security and investment priorities. Four ICT Directors and a moderator | Four ICT Directors and a moderator |
| 15:45to 16:00 | Tea break | |
| 16:00to 16:30 | Partner presentation and demonstrationPartner presenter | Partner presenter |
| 16:30to 16:45 | Open discussion and questionsAll participants | All participants |
| 16:45to 17:00 | Day One reflections and announcementsRapporteur and Forum Chair | Rapporteur and Forum Chair |
Day Two: Friday, 22nd January 2027
Advanced campus networks, data sovereignty and disaster recovery, and the forum resolutions.
| Time | Session | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30to 09:00 | Arrival and networking Secretariat | |
| 09:00to 09:15 | Recap of Day OneRapporteur | Rapporteur |
| Session 3: Advanced Campus Networks | ||
| 09:15to 10:00 | Featured presentationCampus networks for AI and research workloadsFebe Angel Ciudad RicardoSpain | Febe Angel Ciudad RicardoSpain |
| 10:00to 10:30 | Modern Wi-Fi, network automation and AI-assisted operations | |
| 10:30to 11:00 | Tea break | |
| 11:00to 11:30 | Institutional case study: modernising campus connectivityInstitutional presenter | Institutional presenter |
| 11:30to 12:00 | Discussion: campus network priorities and shared servicesSession presenters and participants | Session presenters and participants |
| Session 4: Data Sovereignty and Disaster Recovery | ||
| 12:00to 12:30 | Featured presentationData sovereignty and responsible institutional AI adoptionArafa YoncalikBelgium | Arafa YoncalikBelgium |
| 12:30to 13:00 | Institutional data governance, privacy and cloud service decisionsData protection specialist | Data protection specialist |
| 13:00to 14:00 | Lunch | |
| 14:00to 14:30 | Disaster recovery and continuity for critical institutional services | |
| 14:30to 15:30 | ICT Directors’ PanelBuilding Resilient Digital CampusesNetworks, data sovereignty and disaster recovery. Four ICT Directors and a moderator | Four ICT Directors and a moderator |
| 15:30to 15:45 | Tea break | |
| 15:45to 16:15 | Forum resolutions, action points and next stepsForum Chair and Rapporteur | Forum Chair and Rapporteur |
| 16:15to 16:30 | Closing remarksRENU leadership | RENU leadership |
