University Hosting Model
How universities lead, execute, and sustain Global City Forumss with complete autonomy and shared responsibility.
The University-Led Model
Global City Forumss are hosted and executed by universities—either as a single institution or as a consortium. Universities maintain full self-governance, make all local decisions, manage events, and control event revenues.
Single University Leadership
One leading university takes responsibility for hosting and executing the city forum, coordinating stakeholders, producing research, and managing all operational decisions.
- ✓ Unified decision-making authority
- ✓ Clear accountability structure
- ✓ Dedicated institutional resources
- ✓ Streamlined coordination
University Consortium
Multiple universities collaborate and share leadership, distributing responsibilities, leveraging complementary expertise, and pooling institutional capacity.
- ✓ Distributed expertise and resources
- ✓ Stronger research capacity
- ✓ Greater stakeholder reach
- ✓ Institutional resilience
Prerequisites for Hosting
To become a Global City Forums host, universities must meet these core requirements:
Physical Infrastructure
A forum-enabled space capable of hosting 50-300+ guests for convenings, workshops, and annual forums. Space can be on-campus or through strategic partnership.
Livestream & Digital Capability
Technical infrastructure to livestream events, produce recordings, and manage hybrid attendance—enabling global participation and research dissemination.
Stakeholder Convening Power
Established relationships with local government, business, industry, and civil society—enabling the university to convene multi-sector leadership.
Research Production Capacity
Faculty expertise and research infrastructure to produce white papers, policy briefs, and original research aligned with forum focus areas.
Membership Promotion
Commitment to actively promote memberships, recruit members, and engage the local business and institutional community in forum activities.
Long-Term Commitment
Multi-year commitment to sustaining the forum, with institutional integration and budget allocation to support ongoing operations and growth.
Responsibilities Matrix
Clear delineation of roles and responsibilities ensures efficient operations and shared accountability:
Global City Forums / International Doctoral Council
- • Provide global structure, standards, and research frameworks
- • Manage international membership systems and billing
- • Coordinate cross-city research and knowledge sharing
- • Publish and disseminate research globally
- • Manage media and thought leadership presence
- • Provide governance, legal, and institutional oversight
Hosting University(ies)
- • Execute and manage all city-level forum activities
- • Convene local stakeholders and manage relationships
- • Organize and host annual forums and events
- • Produce local research and white papers
- • Promote memberships and manage local member engagement
- • Maintain physical infrastructure and digital capability
- • Report on activities and outcomes to GCF
Local Stakeholders (Government, Business, Civil Society)
- • Participate in forums, convenings, and research discussions
- • Provide input on strategic focus areas and priorities
- • Support event sponsorship and member recruitment (where appropriate)
- • Engage with research and apply insights
Revenue & Benefit Allocation
Clear financial allocation ensures sustainability and fairness:
Universities & Local Forums Retain
- → Event revenues from conference registrations, sponsorships, and ticketed events
- → Local memberships that fund on-ground operations and research
- → Direct benefits of institutional visibility, research impact, and stakeholder relationships
Global City Forums / IDC Manages
- → International membership revenues that fund global operations, research dissemination, and platform development
- → Research publication & amplification through global networks
- → Cross-city coordination and knowledge exchange
Model Ensures Alignment
This allocation model ensures that universities are incentivized to execute high-quality forums and attract members locally, while GCF is incentivized to provide global value, research standards, and media amplification. All parties benefit from the forum's success.
Governance & Quality Standards
Academic Independence
Universities maintain complete academic independence. All research is peer-reviewed and subject to institutional academic standards. No external influence on research findings or academic conclusions.
Research Standards
All forum research follows rigorous methodology guidelines established by Global City Forums. Publications are peer-reviewed and attributed clearly to hosting institutions.
Accreditation & Recognition
Forums must meet GCF standards for research quality, convening capacity, and member engagement. Regular assessments ensure institutional alignment and performance.
Institutional Neutrality
All forums operate with political and economic neutrality. Research serves evidence-based dialogue—not advocacy for specific ideologies or interests.
Interested in Hosting?
If your university is interested in hosting a Global City Forums, we'd like to hear from you.