Insights

Research, written by
operators.

Phoenix publishes from inside the work, not consultancy decks. Field notes, policy briefings and working papers from our advisors.

Working paper · 12 minApril 2026

The University-as-Platform: how AI is rewriting the unit economics of higher education.

A working paper on how generative AI restructures cost-to-credential ratios and what that means for institutional strategy in the next five years.

Dr. Rana Kandil

Policy briefing · 8 minMarch 2026

Africa's missing million: the case for joint-credential partnerships across the continent.

Africa needs 18 million additional university places by 2035. A practical framework for joint-credential delivery between African and global institutions.

Dr. Wasima ElGarem

Field report · 6 minFebruary 2026

AI faculty enablement at scale: lessons from nine universities across MENA.

What we have learnt running structured AI literacy programmes for 3,400+ faculty across Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Dr. Moemen Abdelkader

Working paper · 14 minJanuary 2026

Beyond accreditation: designing trust mechanisms for cross-border credentials.

Why ECTS-style equivalence frameworks will not scale to the next decade, and what an AI-native trust layer might look like.

Dr. Mohammad Mayouf

Field report · 5 minDecember 2025

What we got wrong about online learning, and what comes after the LMS.

Three years of post-pandemic enrolment data from Phoenix's partner universities, and the strategic lesson institutions keep missing.

Dr. Sally Ibrahim

Industry briefing · 9 minNovember 2025

The corporate university returns: enterprise learning has eaten executive education.

Why Fortune 500 L&D budgets are now larger than university executive-education revenue, and what that means for higher-ed business models.

Mr. Zeeshan Sardar