The Director General of Study in Greece, Dr. Theodoros Papaioannou represented Greek higher education at one of the most impactful events in the sector of international education – the QS Higher Education Summit: Europe 2026, held on 24 and 25 June in Budapest.
Hosted by Széchenyi István Egyetem – University of Győr, and titled “Strengthening Europe’s talent and innovation advantage”, this year’s event focused on the challenges and perspectives arising for European universities in a rapidly changing global landscape shaped by political and demographic shifts, technological disruption, geopolitical tensions, and changing student needs. The Summit’s diverse set of sessions covered a wide range of critical fields and topics such as government policies, academic partnerships, research collaborations, technology and innovation, international student flows, marketing and recruitment, employability and future skills.
Dr. Papaioannou was the main speaker at the session dedicated to Greece, titled “Greece’s Higher Education Transformation: Building a New European Study Destination”. During the fireside chat with Ms. Eleni Bolou-Schlesinger, Regional Partnerships Manager at QS, the CEO of SiG had the opportunity to present Greek higher education’s internationalization strategy including the policy reforms, promotion campaigns, international partnership programs and various projects implemented in the framework of the evolving relationship between the Greek state, higher education institutions and SiG to promote enhanced collaboration between Greek and international higher education institutions, attract international students to Greek campuses, and attract foreign university branch campuses to Greece. Moreover, Dr. Papaioannou moderated a panel discussion on “Europe’s Next Frontier in Transnational Education”, focusing on the latest developments in transnational education and international student mobility, and Europe’s position in the global higher education landscape.
This first participation of SiG and Greek universities in the QS Higher Ed Summit Europe gave us the opportunity to reintroduce Greece as an international education hub to a global audience, showcase the strengths of Greek higher education, and highlight the outcomes of our different strategies and actions aimed at promoting international education, fostering global cooperation, and creating a globally-oriented higher education environment in Greece.
Special thanks to QS and the organizers for their impeccable organization and excellent cooperation.
