AcademiaPod Launch Event: AI Meets Knowledge Exchange

On 8 July 2025, the University of Southampton Business School proudly hosted the launch of AcademiaPod, an innovative new platform that transforms academic research into engaging, AI-generated podcasts.

Held at the University of Southampton Business School (USBS)  and supported by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), the event brought together academics, industry practitioners, and policy influencers to explore the role of AI in democratising academic research.

The day opened with a welcome from Dr Foteini Papadopoulou, Senior Enterprise Fellow, who introduced AcademiaPod and its mission to make academic insights more accessible, inclusive, and impactful. This was followed by Professor Jeni Giambona, Associate Dean of Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise, who provided an overview of  USBS' growing work in public engagement and cross-sector collaboration.

In a thought-provoking keynote, Dr Luigi Mosca (Imperial Business School and the University of Sydney) discussed “Designing Better Futures”, offering compelling insights into how AI can help translate academic knowledge into practical applications.

After a networking lunch, attendees heard from Vasilij Nevlev, AI expert and Director of Analytium Ltd, who shared industry perspectives in “The Generative Catalyst”, a powerful reflection on how GenAI is transforming knowledge transfer and business innovation.

The event closed with interactive group discussions on the opportunities and challenges at the intersection of AI, research communication, and academia-industry collaboration, sparking lively debate and generating new ideas for future partnerships. During a highly interactive session led by Dr Luigi Mosca, groups of participants explored ways in which AI can close the gap between industry and academia, all while co-creating a sustainable future. After such a dynamic exchange of ideas, one can’t help but wonder: if we harness AI’s full potential together, what breakthroughs might we unlock next?

AcademiaPod is now live; the platform features podcast episodes generated from peer-reviewed research papers by the University of Southampton Business School academics.

Explore the platform here .

We would like to thank all our speakers, participants, and partners for making this launch such a success. We  look forward to continuing to build bridges between academia and society through AI-powered knowledge exchange.