Public Sector, Education & Research

Los Angeles – September 30, 2026 -- California's economy expanded at an annualized 3.7% rate in the first quarter of 2026, nearly double the 2.1% national growth rate, even as the state's unemployment rate climbed to 5.1% in August, the highest of any U.S. state, according to the UCLA Anderson Forecast's September 2026 outlook.

California outpaces every state but Washington in growth while shedding jobs by one measure

Over the year ending in the first quarter, California GDP grew 3.3% versus 2.7% nationally. Payroll employment rose by 138,500 jobs over the 12 months through August, but a separate household survey showed 246,700 fewer Californians employed and a 351,100 drop in the labor force over the same period. The state's unemployment rate has stayed above 5% for 31 consecutive months.

Hong Kong – September 30, 2026 -- City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) climbed three places to rank 70th globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, its best result to date.

CityUHK retains world No. 1 in Industry pillar for fourth straight year

The university scored a perfect 100 in the Industry pillar, topping the global ranking for the fourth consecutive year on the strength of patent development, technology commercialisation and its innovation ecosystem. THE evaluated 2,297 institutions across 118 countries using 17 indicators across five pillars: Teaching, Research Environment, Research Quality, Industry and International Outlook.

Hong Kong – September 30, 2026 -- City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) has risen to 70th place globally in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027, its best-ever result, advancing three places from the previous year.

CityUHK retains world No. 1 in Industry pillar for fourth straight year

The university scored a perfect 100 in the "Industry" pillar, securing the top global position for the fourth consecutive year. The metric evaluates patent development, technology commercialisation and the strength of institutional innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems.

Austin, Texas – – September 29, 2026 -- A new national study of 8,353 family members across 77 colleges and universities finds that philanthropic giving is driven primarily by trust and visible student success rather than direct fundraising appeals. Encoura and CampusESP jointly released the findings from "Drivers of Family Giving: The 2026 National Study," based on data collected in May 2026 through CampusESP's family engagement platform.

Family members ranked trust and relevance above fundraising volume

The research shows that families who feel informed about their student's progress and trust the institution are more likely to engage philanthropically over time. Sarah Kleeberger, senior vice president of consulting fundraising management at Encoura, said the surveyed families made clear that seeing students supported and succeeding builds the foundation for lasting relationships with an institution.

Washington – September 29, 2026 -- The National Park Foundation (NPF) has awarded $4.7 million through its Open OutDoors for Kids program to fund 83 education projects across more than 90 national parks during the 2026-27 school year, marking the program's 15th season.

NPF allocates $4.7 million to 83 grantees for park-based learning

The funding supports field trips, classroom engagements, and virtual learning tied to national parks. The program was created in 2011 with the National Park Service to complement the federal Every Kid Outdoors initiative and address barriers such as transportation costs.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – September 29, 2026 -- The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) will open applications October 1 for its ninth round of massage school grants funded by Massage Envy, offering ten $10,000 awards totaling $100,000. The fall cycle brings Massage Envy's cumulative funding of the program to $550,000.

Massage Envy doubles annual grant capacity in 2026

The program now distributes 10 grants per cycle in both spring and fall, up from five per cycle in prior years, effectively doubling annual grant availability for accredited massage schools.

Accredited schools can apply through October 31

Eligible massage schools must submit an online application via AMTA detailing how grant funds would support school programs and students. The application window runs October 1–31, 2026.

Fairfax, Va. – September 29, 2026 -- CGI Federal Inc. has launched an AI Agent Catalog developed with Amazon Web Services, offering thousands of curated agentic AI use cases to help U.S. federal agencies automate cyber defense, fraud detection, benefits processing and back-office operations.

Catalog targets scalable, enterprise-wide agentic AI deployment

The offering provides tooling to generate self-directed agents capable of navigating secure federal environments while meeting government security, governance and compliance requirements. CGI Federal says the goal is to move agencies beyond isolated pilot programs toward mission-specific agent deployment at scale.

Beijing – – September 29, 2026 -- iHuman Inc. (NYSE: IH) reported a second-quarter net loss of RMB17.5 million (US$2.6 million), reversing a net income of RMB30.7 million in the same period last year, as revenues fell 17.8% to RMB173.4 million (US$25.6 million) from RMB210.9 million.

Revenue Decline Tied to Falling Birth Rates and Cautious Spending

The company attributed the drop directly to China's declining newborn population and more conservative consumer spending. Average total monthly active users fell to 20.72 million from 23.97 million a year earlier, a 13.6% decrease also linked to the demographic downturn.

London – September 29, 2026 -- Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L) has agreed to acquire Workera, an AI-native skills intelligence platform used by enterprises including ServiceNow, Accenture and the United States Space Force to verify workforce capability.

Pearson targets enterprise skills verification gap as AI reshapes workforce needs

Workera combines agentic AI, psychometrics and adaptive assessment to measure employee proficiency through role-specific scenarios and simulations, rather than relying on self-reported skills data. The platform gives business leaders a live baseline of workforce capability, including AI fluency, and routes employees to targeted development that closes specific skill gaps. It also verifies whether skills improved post-training, offering measurable ROI on learning investments, and informs hiring, internal mobility and workforce planning decisions.

Phoenix – September 28, 2026 -- A new statewide survey from the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) finds 93% of Arizona voters agree elected leaders must make long-term investments to secure the state's water future, including dedicating more state funding to water systems.

Bipartisan Support Crosses Party Lines on Water Funding

Support for long-term water investment spans the political spectrum, with 90% of Republicans, 91% of independent and unaffiliated voters, and 97% of Democrats in agreement, according to the 2026 Arizona Voters' Agenda research.

Voters Back Diversified Water Supply Strategies

89% of respondents agree Arizona needs to expand its water supply through strategies including new water sources, desalination investment, and wastewater recycling. That figure includes 87% of Republicans, 86% of independent and unaffiliated voters, and 96% of Democrats.