Asia Universities Summit to focus on spreading excellence

The Times Higher Education Asia Universities Summit 2021 on 1-3 June will concentrate on harnessing the power of scientific and artistic achievements that have emerged from the continent in recent years to counter regional and worldwide challenges.

The fully virtual gathering, held in partnership with Fujita Health University, one of Japan’s leading medical universities, will demonstrate the potential for success in the sector through sustained research and development investment: whether enriching already burgeoning industrial hubs, such as Aichi and the nearby Kansai region, or advancing the technological prowess of neighbouring countries in the Global South.

Phil Baty, THE’s chief knowledge officer, said: “As this is our first ever THE summit hosted with a Japanese university, we had hoped to all meet in person, but the continued risk of Covid-19 means that the safest and simplest way to make sure we are able to gather a truly representative and diverse range of great thinkers from across Asia and beyond is to hold the summit online his year.

“This virtual format means we can be even more ambitious about the scale and reach of the event, to help make sure all Asian universities and their global stakeholders are able to benefit from an outstanding range of speakers, which includes Nobel prizewinner Hiroshi Amano and the presidents and leading academics of many of Asia’s very best universities.”

The robust summit programme, which spans three days, will comprise a series of academic and industry-led keynotes, diverse panel discussions, and workshops. The session topics will range from the role of Asia universities in nurturing creativity, supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, reducing geopolitical tensions, achieving gender equality, and the challenge of tailoring curricula towards changing demographics. The summit will also mark the launch of the Asia University Rankings 2021, which will be accompanied by a bespoke data masterclass on Japan’s performance, led by THE’s chief data officer, Duncan Ross.

“We’ll be publishing both the shortlist for the THE Awards Asia and the flagship THE Asia University Rankings 2021 at the summit, so we will have deep and rich examples of best practice to share and learn from as universities navigate their way out of the pandemic: more agile, and stronger,” continued Mr Baty.

In the first industry-led session, Shigetaka Komori, chair and chief executive of Fujifilm, will discuss how the company’s photography-led enterprise successfully entered the world of healthcare through diagnostic imaging, and other partners at the summit, including IBM, Western Union and Huawei, will share ideas on adapting business models to engage with global issues, and support the higher education sector.

Eiichi Saitoh, president of Fujita Health University, said: “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we discovered what a university should be. We witnessed the reinvention of communication through the Internet of Things, as well as changing customs – such as wearing face masks – and social cues, and changes in the evaluation of infection control across organisations and countries. These experiences made us reconsider our daily lives.

“We now need to recognise the limits of our wisdom, diversify our strategies, be aware of satisfactory solutions rather than optimisation, and seek tactics to deal with specific issues.”

He added: “The summit is a great opportunity to host diverse and excellent thinkers, and we are very much looking forward to it.”

Click here to register for the Times Higher Education Asia Universities Summit 2021