Every Congress has a theme. Every Congress has a programme. But the best Congresses also have a strong sense of place.
For EAN Congress 2026, that place is Glasgow.
From 17th–19th June 2026, the Engineering Academics Network will gather at the University of Strathclyde for three days of discussion, debate and connection around this year’s theme: AI: Evolution or Revolution?
It is a timely question for engineering education. But it is also a question that feels particularly at home in Glasgow — a city that has spent generations evolving, reinventing and challenging expectations.
A city shaped by engineering
Glasgow is not just a backdrop for Congress. It is part of the story.
This is a city whose history is inseparable from engineering, industry, shipbuilding, transport, infrastructure and invention. The Clyde was once one of the great industrial arteries of the world, and Glasgow’s built environment still carries the marks of ambition, creativity and technical achievement.
For delegates considering the future of engineering education, there is something powerful about having those conversations in a city where engineering has so visibly shaped society.
Congress 2026 asks whether AI represents evolution or revolution. Glasgow offers a reminder that transformation rarely comes from technology alone. It comes from people, institutions, skills, infrastructure, culture and the willingness to imagine something different.
More than a venue
The University of Strathclyde places delegates in the heart of the city, close to Glasgow’s Merchant City, civic centre and cultural quarter.
That matters.
Congress is not only what happens in lecture theatres and panel sessions. It is also the conversation on the walk between venues, the idea that starts over coffee, the introduction made at dinner, and the collaboration that begins because people had time and space to talk.
Glasgow is well suited to that kind of Congress. It is compact enough to navigate easily, lively enough to explore, and welcoming enough to make informal networking feel natural.
Merchant City on the doorstep
Step outside the University of Strathclyde and you are close to Merchant City, one of Glasgow’s most distinctive neighbourhoods.
Its streets bring together historic architecture, restaurants, cafés, galleries, bars and cultural venues. It is the kind of place where delegates can continue conversations after the day’s sessions, meet colleagues before an evening event, or simply take time to experience the city between Congress activities.
For first-time visitors, Merchant City offers an immediate sense of Glasgow’s character: energetic, creative, historic and social.
Glasgow through an engineering lens
One of the advantages of attending Congress in person is the chance to experience the host city in a way that an online event simply cannot offer.
At EAN Congress 2026, delegates will have opportunities to see Glasgow through an engineering perspective, including the guided engineering bridge tour and visits linked to the University of Strathclyde’s engineering facilities.
These experiences connect the Congress theme to the city around it. They also offer a reminder that engineering education is not abstract. It is visible in the structures we cross, the systems we rely on, the places we inhabit and the futures we are trying to build.
Culture, architecture and a reason to stay longer
For those able to spend a little more time in the city, Glasgow offers plenty beyond the Congress programme.
The city is known for its museums, galleries, music, architecture, food and nightlife. From major cultural institutions to independent venues and neighbourhood discoveries, Glasgow rewards curiosity.
First-time visitors may want to explore Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, the Riverside Museum, Glasgow Cathedral, the Gallery of Modern Art, the city’s mural trail, or the legacy of Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Others may simply want to enjoy the restaurants, cafés and atmosphere that have helped build Glasgow’s reputation as one of the UK’s friendliest cities.
And for anyone thinking of extending their stay, Glasgow is also a gateway to wider Scotland, with easy routes to Loch Lomond, the west coast, Stirling and Edinburgh.
Why place matters
There is a reason conferences still matter.
At a time when AI is changing how we teach, assess, research and work, it is tempting to assume that every professional exchange can happen online. But some conversations benefit from being shared in a room. Some ideas emerge because people step outside their usual environment. Some collaborations begin because a city gives delegates the time, space and energy to think differently.
That is what Glasgow offers EAN Congress 2026.
A city of engineering heritage.
A city of reinvention.
A city with culture, character and momentum.
A city well suited to a Congress asking whether the future of engineering education needs evolution, revolution, or perhaps both.
Join us in Glasgow
EAN Congress 2026 will take place at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, from 17th–19th June 2026.
Come for the Congress theme. Come for the discussions on AI and engineering education. Come for the colleagues, the debate and the chance to support the engineering education community.
And while you are there, take the opportunity to experience Glasgow.
It is more than the host city. It is part of the reason to be there.
More information and book your space here.
