EURIE 2026 Eurasia Higher Education Summit was held in Istanbul between 7-9 April 2026. The summit, organized on the themes of internationalization in higher education, academic collaborations and student/academic mobility, offered an important platform for sharing information and developing new partnerships. Within the scope of the program, current problems of higher education, good practice examples, new trends and innovative solution suggestions were discussed.

The “Higher Education and Women Academics in the Age of AI: Experiences, Opportunities and Future Outlook” session, held on April 8, 2026, focused on current discussions on gender and artificial intelligence in higher education. 

YÖK Women's Research Founding President Prof. Dr. In the relevant session chaired by Sezer Komsomoğlu; Prof. Dr. Bahar Demirel (Fırat University) and Prof. Dr. Our İTÜ BMT-KAUM Center Director, Prof., together with Nigar Demircan Çakar (Istanbul Aydın University). Dr. Hatice Ayataç made a presentation titled "The Rising Role of Female Academics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Equality and Institutional Transformation". 

Drawing attention to the transformation created by artificial intelligence in academic production, Ayataç emphasized the limited representation of women in the field of technology due to reasons such as lack of technological literacy, cultural factors and systematic obstacles, and the inequalities this situation creates in STEM fields; He stated that academic environments that are inclusive and supportive of diversity are decisive in terms of both equality and innovative and qualified outputs. In this regard, he stated the necessity of developing gender-sensitive policies, integrating equal opportunities into the corporate culture, and supporting female academics with mentoring and research projects. 

In this respect, EURIE 2026 creates an important interaction for academics, decision-makers and sector representatives in terms of both exchanging ideas and developing cooperation; It revealed the critical role of gender equality in terms of academic and institutional development in the age of artificial intelligence.