CUHK
News Centre

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) hosted the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) during 25-30 April 2015. CUHK is the only member university in Hong Kong represented in this prestigious international research network which comprises 19 research-intensive universities in 11 countries*. 

The Conference brought to Hong Kong 400 delegates comprising the Network’s leadership, as well as researchers, experts, administrators, practitioners and policymakers from all over the world, to assess progress of the Network, review and plan its research programmes, particularly those in the Network’s Global Challenges: Responding to Climate Change, Global Higher Education and Research, Public Health (Non-communicable Disease) and Understanding Cultures, and engage with key personnel and stakeholders. Besides, academic meetings and conferences on the themes of Migration, Digital Cultures, Healthy Ageing, China Foreign Direct Investment were held during the period. The event ended with a Presidents Forum held at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen where over 30 WUN presidents and Chinese presidents considered the reform agendas for higher education in China and the world. 

Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung, CUHK Vice-Chancellor and WUN Vice Chair, said he was pleased to host this year’s event. “The Chinese University of Hong Kong is very proud to host the WUN community. We hope that our guests will find this event valuable and constructive, while enjoying all that our campus, and the great city of Hong Kong, has to offer,” said Professor Sung. 

CUHK has been playing a key role in WUN by providing scientific and scholarly expertise in the Global Challenges, especially topics with China focus and which would benefit from a Hong Kong, mainland China, and Asia perspective. The University hopes to advance in internationalization and research capacity building and provide policy input through its participation in the Network, attracting external funding and increasing research outputs. At present, CUHK is involved in some 30 research projects in collaboration with WUN members, six of which are led by the University. This is complemented by the active exchange of PhD students and faculty. 

Professor John Hearn, Executive Director, WUN said the Conference and AGM is a valuable opportunity for members to share their research and establish future directions. “WUN fosters international research collaboration, which means that most of our teams work across regions and time zones. This event brings some of those teams together to assess our progress; plan our research, education and mobility programs; and engage with key colleagues and stakeholders in the region,” said Professor Hearn. 

CUHK joined WUN in 2011. Its mission is to be one of the leading international higher education networks, collaborating to accelerate the creation of knowledge and to develop leaders who will be prepared to address the significant challenges and opportunities of the rapidly changing world. WUN fosters interdisciplinary research in four areas known as the Global Challenges, namely Global Higher Education and Research, Public Health (Non-Communicable Disease), Responding to Climate Change, and Understanding Cultures.    

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* Other members of WUN include: Maastricht University, The Netherlands; The Pennsylvania State University, USA; The University of Auckland, New Zealand; The University of Sheffield, UK; The University of Sydney, Australia; The University of Western Australia, Australia; University of Alberta, Canada; University of Basel, Switzerland; University of Bergen, Norway; University of Bristol, UK; University of Cape Town, South Africa; University of Ghana, Ghana; University of Leeds, UK; University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA; University of Rochester, USA; University of Southampton, UK; University of York, UK; and Zhejiang University, China.