02 Sep 2026
Icelandic universities are active partners in their regions — but how do institutions move from strategic ambition to meaningful, measurable impact? This conference examines the full cycle of engaged academic development: how universities set goals for societal engagement, how they mobilise staff around institutional priorities, and how they capture and evaluate their activity. Drawing on concrete examples from across Iceland, and with input from labour market stakeholders, the day will combine presentations, workshops, and open dialogue to explore what effective quality assurance for regional engagement looks like — not just as a record of the past, but as a driver of continuous improvement.
Date: 2 September 2026
Location: University of Akureyri
Register here before 26 August 2026
09:00 – 09:05 Welcome (Crichton Lang, IAQA Board Chair)
09:05 – 09:45 From Concept to Commitment — Embedding Societal Engagement in University Strategy and Quality Frameworks
Verena Karlsdóttir, Assistant Professor, University of Akureyri
9:45 – 10:20 The view from the labour market: What does meaningful university engagement look like?
Presentation 1: Hulda Hallgrímsdóttir, Executive Vice President, Nox Medical & COO Medical Devices, Nox Health, Chair of Tækni- og hugverkaráð, Federation of Icelandic Industries (SI)
Presentation 2: Ingvar Freyr Ingvarsson, Economist, Confederation of University Graduates, Confederation of University Graduates (BHM)
10:20 – 10:45 Coffee break
10:45 – 12:00 Short presentations and panel discussion with university and labour market representatives (chaired by Andrea Nolan, IAQA Board member)
Áslaug Ásgeirsdóttir, University of Akureyri
Rögnvaldur Sæmundsson, University of Iceland
Ólafur Eysteinn Sigurjónsson, Reykjavík University
Eva Kuttner, Hólar University
Eva María Árnadóttir, Iceland University of the Arts
Hulda Hallgrímsdóttir, Federation of Icelandic Industries
Ingvar Freyr Ingvarsson, Confederation of University Graduates
12:00 – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 13:30 Discussion session 1
From Strategy to Practice: How do universities embed societal engagement institutionally?
13:30 – 14:15 Discussion session 2
Measuring What Matters: Quality assurance for societal engagement
14:15 – 14:30 Short coffee break
14:30 – 15:00 Closing session: Lessons from the day (Jean-March Rapp, IAQA Board member)
15:00 – 16:00 Reception