Dr Beck Pitt, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Educational Technology (IET), The Open University, UK, and Co-Director of the Global Open Graduate Network (GO-GN), will share insights into how openness supports the development of international research networks and fosters collaboration in open education at Open Futures 2026.

Open Futures 2026 is pleased to welcome Professor Robert Farrow from The Open University, UK, as a speaker at the international conference “Open Futures: Empowering Fair and Inclusive Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific.” His presentation will explore the critical tensions between generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the foundational principles of open education.

As Vietnam enters a new phase in open education, the focus is shifting from policy development to implementation. At the conference, Dr Vi Truong from the University of Melbourne, Australia, will discuss the capabilities and institutional conditions needed to turn OER policy into meaningful and sustainable practice in Vietnamese higher education.

This conference presentation explores Taiwan's experience in developing Open Educational Resources (OER) and digital learning as a foundation for regional collaboration in higher education. It highlights Taiwan's digital learning ecosystem, discusses key challenges in cross-border collaboration, and presents future opportunities for building sustainable educational partnerships across Asia.

As part of the conference program, this presentation explores how Open Educational Resources (OER), Open Education Practices, and enabling policy frameworks can contribute to building more open, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable higher education systems. Drawing on the work of Open Education Global and recent doctoral research, the session also highlights the importance of connecting open education with open access, open science, and open source software to advance the global openness agenda.

We are pleased to announce Prof. Rory McGreal as the Keynote Speaker for our upcoming international conference. In an era where digital transformation is redefining education, this keynote will explore one of the most pressing and forward-looking topics: the intersection between Open Educational Resources (OER) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI).