An initiative facilitated by GESDA, supported by Wellcome Trust, carried by a global Coalition
Sabancı University has been selected as one of the five official pilot sites for the Global Curriculum for Anticipatory Leadership (GCAL) initiative, launched during the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipation (GESDA) Summit, on 11 October 2024.
This innovative program is marking a significant step towards preparing leaders worldwide for the fast-paced transformations driven by science and technology. The launch, led by Federal Councilor Ignazio Cassis of Switzerland and Enrico Letta, former prime minister of Italy and Chair of the GESDA Diplomacy Forum, brought together heads of international organizations, universities, policymakers, diplomats, business leaders and citizens to highlight the need for future-oriented and evidence-informed leadership.
The program involves a global coalition setting out to develop a new leadership training paradigm that brings together decision-makers from various disciplines, professions and geographies, and empowers them with the knowledge, skills and mindset needed to use the great acceleration of science for the benefit of people, society and the planet.
As a first step, a reference curriculum has been developed combining foundational knowledge about sciences, international relations, business and economics and global affairs, science anticipation, science diplomacy lenses and leadership skills to enable effective and collaborative responses to global challenges.
A major effort of the year 2025 will be the delivery of five Anticipatory Leadership Weeks in five different regions of the world (“25/5/5”) – intensive, immersive training programs that blend local expertise with global insights, fostering cross-sector dialogue and cooperation. The following cities and institutions will serve as regional hubs for anticipatory leadership training:
• Istanbul (Turkey) with Sabancı University
• Madrid (Spain) with IE University
• Pretoria (South Africa) with the Science Diplomacy Capital for Africa
• San José (Costa Rica) with INCAE Business School
• Singapore with the National University of Singapore
Participating in the official launch ceremony in Geneva as an invited panel speaker, Sabancı University president Yusuf Leblebici underlined the importance of interdisciplinary education and close links with the business world, in order to address the challenges of training the next generation of policymakers and business leaders in a fast-changing world shaped by technology. He emphasized that “Sabancı University will be playing a key role in this exciting new program with its position as a leading research university, and a strong tradition in trans-disciplinary education”. The initiative, supported by the Wellcome Trust of London, and coordinated by GESDA, will accept its first students in 2025.