The transformative power of education

The World Congress of Education 2026 serves as a premier global platform for educators, researchers, and industry leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue on the transformative power of education in an era of rapid societal and technological change. The congress brings together distinguished scholars, university leaders, and pioneering professionals to share insights, innovative methodologies, and best practices shaping the future of education. It offers a unique opportunity to explore advances in pedagogy, curriculum design, and digital learning while fostering collaboration across disciplines and international borders.

Wolfgang Lutz will deliver a keynote titled “The Demography of Education and Human Capital Formation Around the World 1970–2070.” Lutz, Distinguished Emeritus Research Scholar at IIASA, is internationally recognized for pioneering research linking education, demographic change, and long-term societal development. During his decades of leadership at IIASA, he initiated and led groundbreaking work integrating educational attainment into population projections, fundamentally advancing how human capital is measured and incorporated into analyses of economic development, sustainability, and global change.

His research helped establish the field often referred to as the demography of education, demonstrating the central role of education in shaping population dynamics and future development pathways. The keynote will also highlight ongoing work within the IIASA project supported by the Yidan Prize Foundation, which develops new approaches to measuring skills and education outcomes worldwide and builds on IIASA’s long-standing research on human capital and education.

Finland is a member of IIASA through the National and Regional Member Organizations. Through this membership, Finnish research institutions collaborate closely with IIASA scientists on interdisciplinary research addressing global challenges, including population change, human capital development, and sustainable development. These long-standing partnerships reflect Finland’s strong commitment to international scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange, with Finnish scholars regularly contributing to IIASA’s research programs and policy-relevant analyses.