By Pavel Luksha & François Taddei
Universities find themselves at a critical juncture in the acceleration of global challenges, collectively known as the polycrisis. Despite a centuries-old history of resilience and adaptation, the traditional university model, shaped by Enlightenment ideals and rooted in modern industrial paradigms, is today facing a convergence of disruptions that threaten its core missions of education, research and societal development. These include intensifying pressures to deliver more relevant and flexible learning, the rise of advanced technologies such as AI that outpace conventional research and learning infrastructures, and growing skepticism about academia's ability to address pressing global and social crises.
This Manifesto proposes a planetary mission for universities: an evolution from custodians of knowledge to bridge-builders that orchestrate transdisciplinary solutions, manage global commons and nurture inclusive models of learning and governance. We argue that universities must adopt a “weaving” ethic, fostering ecosystems that integrate multiple forms of intelligence (human, artificial and beyond), connect intergenerational perspectives and promote ethical leadership across global networks. The rise of general artificial intelligence and the ongoing erosion of social trust underscore the urgency of a new model centered on regenerative research programs, democratic co-creation and the culture of care, both for individuals and for our planetary systems. While pointing out persistent obstacles - such as rigid disciplinary structures, reductive measures and political co-optation - we highlight emerging examples of innovative institutions that are already embodying the transformative potential of a planet-centered university. The Manifesto concludes by inviting policymakers, funders, university leaders and learners themselves to participate in the co-creation of a higher education ecosystem fit for our collective future.
Confucius said that “we have two lives, and our second life begins when we realize that we only have one”. Being aware of our limited lives is perhaps what makes our species different. But our times are also special because we are becoming aware that our civilization and even our species have also entered their second life after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an awareness that is growing as we continue to invent ways that threaten our very survival, and as multiple crises intensify in what is now known as the polycrisis. We believe that universities, too, are entering their second life, since some of them are already being forced to close, and are facing ever-increasing challenges that could threaten them if they were unable to evolve.
Read and/or download the Manifesto
