Dr. Arjan Xhelaj, CEO of the Albanian Academic Network (RASH), recently participated in Internet2 Community Exchange 2026 (CommEX26) in Chicago, where he joined the Leadership Track alongside leaders from research and education networks, universities, and technology organizations from around the world.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences on the digital transformation of education and research beyond Europe, while exploring best practices from leading American and international universities. Dr. Xhelaj also attended a business dinner hosted by Tripti Sinha, President & CEO of Internet2, where he had the pleasure of congratulating her on her appointment. During the event, discussions with James Deaton, Vice President of Internet2, focused on opportunities for strengthening future collaboration between RASH and Internet2. He also met with Jungsu Song, President of TEIN (the Trans-Eurasia Information Network), and his team to exchange views on regional and global cooperation among research and education networks.

The conference showcased the latest developments in advanced networking, cybersecurity, cloud technologies, and artificial intelligence for education and scientific research. These valuable discussions have laid the groundwork for future partnerships, and RASH looks forward to continuing them at the Internet2 Global Summit 2027 in Philadelphia, with the shared goal of further strengthening collaboration between Albanian and American universities and their respective research and education communities.