The Research and Innovation Week 2024 was hosted by Lund University, Malmö University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Science. Two satellites events were organized, which provided a platform for the participants to engage with established academics and overall impact the forum. Additionally, internal Student Network meetings were held which allowed fruitful discussion of strategic objectives of the network. For instance, the role of a student representative were assessed and student representation in collaborative research.

Student representatives from 27 partner universities met in Cape Town to amplify the student influence and strengthen collaboration. The summit addressed themes such as, gender equality, food security, mental health and decolonizing education, with students leading impactful satellite events and thematic sessions. Key outcomes from the summit included a more decentralized student student network structure, calls for broader student inclusion in grants and decision-making and plans for future outreach.

The original plan was to meet in Uppsala in May 2020, and the student engagement had been strong. We had managed to find funding for a delegation of South African students to travel and participate in the Student Summit in person. Unfortunately, the pandemic made this impossible and the conference was postponed to the fall semester. It ended up being a Digital Summit, but the student participation was strong anyway. We discussed how our education had been impacted by the pandemic, and how it affects student's mental health in the two countries. We also discussed the SASUF 2030 Action Plan and agreed on our recommendations. We agreed that we must focus on today’s – and tomorrow’s challenges. Focus on how we can find common solutions together. To create sustainable, thriving, and equal societies now, as well as in the future, the inclusion of the younger generation and the students is essential. The SASUF Student Network is a great example of this, and we hope that the universities will make sure to facilitate and support the exchange of student leadership.

The first ever Student Summit!
During the Student Summit Student 2019 housing and mental health were brought up as common challenges in Sweden and South Africa. From a student perspective we highlighted that the universities need to recognize and work with the shared challenges that exist for students globally in higher education, including but not limited to mental health and student accommodation. The topic of decolonization of education was also discussed and besides having a very interesting discussion about identity and heritage, this topic was also linked to a discussion about internationalisation and the importance of having global and local content in the curriculum. We agreed to meet again during the next conference.