The 12th International Conference of Higher Education Management Leaders LUMEN will be held on 17–18 November 2026 at the Auditorium Maximum of Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The event is organized by PCG Academia, the Polish Rectors Foundation and Times Higher Education.

This year’s edition of the LUMEN Conference has a unique, fully international character and, for the first time, brings together rectors and university presidents from across Central and Eastern Europe.

During the conference, the inaugural presentation of the THE CEE Spotlight Edition will take place - a new dedicated ranking of the leading universities in Central and Eastern Europe, prepared by Times Higher Education based on the THE World University Rankings 2027. The ranking results will be followed by a gala ceremony, during which certificates will be presented to the 50 leading universities in the region.

Among the participants already confirmed are rectors and vice-rectors from Hungary, Slovakia and Lithuania, and the international group of participants is steadily growing. The well-established community of Polish universities and higher education institutions will thus be expanded to include partners from across the CEE region.

The conference programme will feature sessions devoted to university rankings, the quality of research, institutional strategy, higher education funding, and relationships between universities, students and the labour market. Speakers will include rectors and senior university leaders from leading institutions across the region, as well as representatives of Times Higher Education.

Information about the event, including previous editions of the Conference, is available on the official LUMEN website: www.lumen.edu.pl