The AAUN Forum was held at ECU City
ECU City hosted the Australia Africa Universities Network (AAUN) Australia Forum on 1 September, bringing together more than 100 delegates from across Australia and Africa. Participants included university leaders, academics, researchers, government representatives, members of the diplomatic community and industry partners.
The Forum provided a platform for dialogue on the future of Australia–Africa engagement across higher education, research, diplomacy and community development. Key discussions centred on the launch of the AAUN Emerging Leaders in Australia-Africa Diplomacy policy report, Deepening Australia–Africa Relations to 2040, which brought together emerging leaders, diplomats and policy experts to examine future opportunities for bilateral cooperation. Delegates also explored findings from the Australian Research Council project African Impact in Australia: Understanding Political and Economic Agency in the Diaspora, led by researchers from Curtin University and the University of Western Australia, highlighting the contributions of African diaspora communities to Australia's social, political and economic landscape.
Representatives from institutions including ECU, Curtin University, Murdoch University, the University of Western Australia, the University of Pretoria, Nelson Mandela University, University of New South Wales, Nairobi University and the University of Cape Town exchanged knowledge on research collaboration, academic diplomacy and leadership development. The forum also showcased progress from AAUN Partnership & Research Development Fund grant recipients from Australian and African universities, demonstrating how seed-funded collaborations are strengthening cross-continental research partnerships and creating new opportunities for institutional cooperation.
ECU's hosting of the 2026 Forum builds on its growing engagement with partners across Africa
A highlight of the program was the final of the AAUN Early Career Researcher (ECR) Hackathon, Rethink. Reuse. Reimagine: Student Innovation for Circular Economy Solutions. Led by AAUN ECRs and involving student participants from nine universities across Australia and Africa, the Hackathon brought together multidisciplinary teams to develop and present innovative approaches to circular economy challenges. The initiative showcased the creativity, leadership and collaborative potential of emerging researchers and students working across regions to address shared global issues.
Welcoming Australia–Africa Week to ECU City
Ahead of the Forum, ECU hosted the Australia–Africa Week Welcome Reception at ECU City on the evening of 31 August, in partnership with the Western Australian Government, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Africa Down Under Conference, and the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia.
Australia–Africa Week ran from 1 to 5 September, offering a broader program of events, including the Forum, focused on strengthening relationships between the two regions across education, research, government, industry and business.
A further, integral part of Africa Week is the conference directly following the Forum, Africa Down Under. Africa Down Under provides an important opportunity for government and business leaders to deepen African–Australian business connections, particularly in the areas of mining and energy.
Building on ECU's growing engagement with Africa
ECU's hosting of the 2026 Forum builds on its growing engagement with partners across Africa. The University co-hosted the AAUN Australia Forum at its Joondalup Campus in 2025, and ECU's engagement has also extended beyond Australia. Earlier in 2026, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Paulo de Souza and Dr Marija Petrovska from ECU International Office participated in the AAUN Africa Forum hosted by Nelson Mandela University in South Africa. Their participation provided valuable opportunities to strengthen institutional networks, explore collaborative research and education initiatives, and gain insights into emerging priorities across the African higher education sector.
