AC21 Activities

Over two decades, the Academic Consortium 21 developed a small set of recurring programmes rather than a long list of one-off initiatives: a student forum, a seed-funding scheme for collaborative research, and an International Forum series held eleven times across five continents.

The activities fell into three broad categories, each addressing a different dimension of about the consortium's mission: education and student exchange, collaborative research, and institutional partnerships. What follows is an overview of each, with links to detailed pages covering individual programmes.

Education & Student Exchange

Two programmes anchored AC21's work in student-facing international education: the Student World Forum, for students at member universities, and the International Graduate School, referred to in AC21 materials as a programme for doctoral candidates. Documentation for both is incomplete; see the detail pages below for what we have been able to verify.

Collaborative Research

The Special Project Fund, launched in 2009, provided seed funding for collaborative research and educational exchange among AC21 member institutions. We look at this dynamic in more general terms in how research funding shapes international collaboration.

Conferences & Partnerships

The International Forum was the consortium's flagship convening event, held eleven times between 2002 and 2022. Each forum was hosted by a different member university and brought AC21 members together to discuss higher education, research, and international collaboration.

For a timeline of documented AC21 events — forums, student events, and other activities — see our event calendar.