NEON Summer Symposium 2025

  • Date

      19/06/2025 - 20/06/2025

  • Time

      10:15 am - 2:00 pm

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The 2025 NEON Summer Symposium will be held on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th June at the University of Salford.

The theme of the 2025 Symposium will be ‘My Hometown – The importance of place in widening access and student success’.

The educational divide between South-East England and the rest of the UK is a critical issue that needs to be addressed to ensure equitable opportunities for all students who want to enter and succeed in higher education. Following the success of the London-based NEON Summer Symposium 2024 – which saw one of the highest turnouts in the event’s 12-year history – we are excited to announce that this NEON flagship event is heading to Greater Manchester for the very first time.

Participate in this unmissable event and be a part of the largest UK conference dedicated to widening access. The 2025 Symposium will once again bring together key figures from across the education sector, policymakers and employers with organisations from across sectors committed to social mobility through widening access to HE, making it the most important event for those working in the field.

Confirmed Speakers:

  • The Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern – Minister for Skills and Government spokesperson for Equalities.
  • Professor Nic Beech – Vice Chancellor, University of Salford and Chair of the Quality Council for UK Higher Education.
  • John Blake – Director of Fair Access and Participation, Office for Students.
  • Paul Dennett – Salford City Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Greater Manchester.
  • Dr Andrea Laczik – Director of Research, Edge Foundation.
  • Professor Chris Millward – Professor of Practice in Education Policy, University of Birmingham and Board Member of Medr.
  • Professor Claire Ozanne – Vice-Chancellor and Rector, Liverpool Hope University
  • Baz Ramaiah, MillionPlus, Head of Policy and Research
  • Dr Kate Wicklow – Director of Policy and Strategy, GuildHE

Expect thought-provoking speeches from other sector leaders, dynamic panel discussions among key sector stakeholders and engaging laboratory and paper sessions. This event offers a fantastic opportunity to share your work, connect with fellow practitioners and gain new insights and inspiration on the critical topics of higher education access and success.

More information about the event will be announced in due course. 

‘The NEON Symposium made me feel inspired to make a change and think outside the box of what we already deliver. I met new people, make new connections and shared new ideas for collaboration, and now I have a list of actions that I can’t wait to get stuck into!’ — NEON Summer Symposium 2024 delegate

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