50
HKUST 2014-2015
Annual Report
DEEPENING INTERNATIONALIZATION
Internationalization is a key area for strategic development
at HKUST, extending from global thought leadership
and international institutional ties to strategic alliances,
collaborations and exchanges for faculty and students.
During the year, the University effectively raised its profile
and standing around the world.
Thought Leadership
In January 2015, President Chan led a delegation to the
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland,
and for the first time presented a specifically named HKUST
IdeasLab session. In Davos, HKUST was the only Asian university
to conduct an IdeasLab, where four professors shared their
expertise on the seamless merging of virtual realities and
the physical world. The President also participated in the
Global University Leaders Forum, discussing trends in
university-industry collaborations in the 21
st
century with
over 20 presidents from top universities. In September 2014,
the University held its third specifically named HKUST
IdeasLab session at the Annual Meeting of New Champions
of the World Economic Forum in Dalian, also known as
the “Summer Davos”. Discussion focused on how human
experience would be enhanced by emerging technologies.
In June 2015, President Chan attended the X
th
Glion
Colloquium, based in Geneva, to discuss balancing external
responsibilities with university priorities and constraints with
an exclusive community of around 20 university leaders.
He was the only university president invited from China.
Members of the University’s senior management were also
invited to speak at Going Global, an annual forum hosted
by the British Council, and the Entrepreneurial University
Leaders Programme, jointly developed by the UK’s National
Council for Entrepreneurship in Education, Oxford University
and Universities UK.
Global Connectivity
To build wider international partnerships, President Chan
led delegations to Mexico and Central Europe in November
2014 and May 2015 respectively.
The tour to Mexico enjoyed tremendous support from the
Consul General who traveled together with the HKUST
delegation. The six-day trip encompassed the key cities of Mexico
City, Monterrey and Guadalajara, and meetings with eight
leading universities. Visits included the National Autonomous
University of Mexico, the largest university in Latin America
with over 200,000 students, Monterrey Institute of Technology
and Higher Education, recognized as the MIT of Mexico,
and University of Monterrey, an elite private university. Other
destinations included four science and technology institutions,
and six government entities, including Creative Digital City and
the National Council of Science and Technology.
The tour to Central Europe covered Hungary, Poland and
the Czech Republic. The delegation met presidents and
senior management of 13 top universities, four science and
250
UNIVERSITIES AND
INSTITUTIONS
Worldwide network
INTERNATIONAL AND MAINLAND STRATEGY
