 ITU is the lead UN agency for information and communication technology. We develop world telecommunications standards, work on radio technologies and spectrum, and facilitate ICT developments everywhere. ITU has been at the center of advances in communications for over 154 years. Radio technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and 5G are high on our agenda. ITU has been a partnership between governments, industry, and academia since its beginning. Strengthening the role of academia in ITU's work is one of my priorities. Today, over 160 higher education institutions from more than 50 countries have joined the ITU family as academia members. They choose what ITU activities in which they want to participate, from developing international standards crucial to encourage innovation to promoting regulation that attracts investment and growth in ICT services. They work with governments and private sector companies, building bridges between disciplines and connecting theory to policy and markets. Academia plays an essential role in the newly created ITU journal, ICT Discoveries, where their long-term vision will help researchers, professors, policymakers, and individual leaders prepare for the impacts of major breakthroughs in research. There are many other platforms for universities to engage in ITU activities. I encourage your institution to join ITU and share its knowledge and expertise to help bring about economic and social change in the service of humanity.