TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A two-day summit for university presidents kicked off at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on Wednesday (Nov. 23). The high-level academic exchange wrapped up on Thursday (Nov. 24) with the administrators signing a manifesto to commit their universities to resource sharing and research exchanges for a sustainable future.
Nearly 100 presidents and representatives from the top universities of Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Brunei attended the Southeast Asia Higher Education Summit this week. This year, the annual summit addressed several important issues relevant to higher education, including open knowledge sharing in sci-tech fields, cross-border strategic collaboration, and sustainable development.
"Over the past two years, Southeast and South Asia and Taiwan Universities (SATU) member universities have linked up over 800 researchers on a shared platform - the Joint Research Scheme (JRS) - to jointly conduct research exchanges. NCKU is honored to be part of the scheme to collaborate with excellent researchers from the Southeast and South Asia region," said NCKU President Su Huey-Jen (蘇慧貞) in her opening remarks on Wednesday.
NCKU President Su Huey-Jen speaks at the forum. (Taiwan News photo)
Su added that NCKU will continue to address the challenges facing higher education in the region. She said the school is eager to leverage academic and research strengths of strategic multinational partners to benefit the local and global communities.
She also referred to Taiwan's strength in chip manufacturing and the country's dedication to expanding the talent pool within the semiconductor industry. NCKU, which is known as a cradle for semiconductor talent, also welcomes visits of talented people from the Southeast Asia and South Asia region to explore collaboration opportunities, said Su.
At the two-day summit, Jerzy Duszyński, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), was invited to speak on knowledge sharing among academics in higher education for a sustainable future. He was joined by Caroline F. Bentonru, Vice President of Japan's Tsukuba University, who spoke on strategic partnerships in an age of uncertainty and turmoil.
At the closing ceremony on Thursday, Prof. Mark Lundstrom, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering at Purdue University, USA, shared his thoughts on resource sharing and how collaboration among institutes of higher education can nurture future leaders.
Jerzy Duszyński, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences. (Taiwan News photo)
The attending university presidents and representatives signed a "Manifesto for a Sustainable Future" on Thursday at the closing ceremony. The agreement calls on participants to make commitments to support inclusiveness, networking, knowledge sharing, and accessibility to secure a sustainable future.
Initiated by NCKU in 2003, the SATU President's Forum is convened every year to encourage academic exchange and collaboration among top universities from Taiwan, Southeast Asia and the South Asia region. There are now over 100 member universities from nine countries, including Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Nearly 100 presidents and representatives from the top universities of Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Brunei attended the Southeast Asia Higher Education Summit. (Taiwan News photo)