International Young Leaders Forum
Empowering the Future – New Perspectives in the Age of Intelligence

The International Young Leadership Forum (IYLF) is a high-level, multidisciplinary, and glob-ally oriented academic exchange platform jointly initiated by New Zealand Chinese Scientists Association and the New Zealand Society for Education and Culture (NZSEC). De-signed for emerging global scholars, the forum aims to foster cross-disciplinary innovation and forward-thinking dialogue in the era of digitalization and intelligent technologies. It seeks to identify and nurture future academic leaders and industry pioneers who will shape the development of science, humanities, and society.
The inaugural forum will be held in 2025 at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and is open to master's and doctoral students from around the world. Participants are encouraged to engage in in-depth dialogue and intellectual exchange across key areas including artificial intelligence, digital media transformation, sustainable development, future engineering and science, and humanistic care. The forum aims to promote collaborative innovation and cross-disciplinary partnerships among participants from diverse academic, cultural, and professional backgrounds.
As we enter a new era marked by rapid advances in AI, big data, quantum technologies, biotechnology, new materials, renewable energy, media and communication, and sustainability, the demand for talent is undergoing a fundamental transformation. While deep disciplinary expertise remains essential, competencies such as interdisciplinary thinking, innovative capacity, global perspective, and humanistic awareness are becoming critical qualities for the next generation of leaders. The IYLF has emerged in response to this global call for a new model of youth-driven leadership and scholarship.
Guided by its core values of “Engaging with the Future, Leading Transformations,” and centred on the theme of “Decision-Making and Leadership in the Age of Intelligence,” the forum will feature a variety of dynamic formats including keynote speeches, youth dialogues, roundtable discussions, and poster presentations. In addition, the forum will host a range of special events such as poster showcases, thematic workshops, and open calls for creative works, providing participants with diverse platforms for academic expression and thought leadership.