The Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) is a group of presidents from the world's top 29 universities, established in 2006 by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It describes itself as a "community" to address educational, scientific and research agendas.[1][2] Membership is based on university ranking, individual leadership, geographical diversity, and the university's relevance to the forum's agenda.[3] The current GULF Chair is Suzanne Fortier of McGill University.[4]
A 2018 report by Times Higher Education and Elsevier found that the then-27 GULF members produced 7% of the world's research output, more than any individual country except the United States and China, and are responsible for 15.4% of all research cited in patents, more than any individual country except the United States.[5][6][7]
The group has expanded since its inception in 2006,[8][9][10] and has 29 affiliated universities as of 2020.[11]