A delegation from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) took part in the annual conference of the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE), held between 23 and 27 February in Hong Kong (China). At the APAIE, one of the world’s leading higher education conferences, the UPF delegation explored new avenues for collaboration with universities and research centres in the region, and learned first-hand about some of the main technology parks in the Chinese city.

Entitled “Asia-Pacific Partnerships for the Global Good”, this edition of the APAIE focused precisely on the importance of forging international collaborative relationships by university and research institutions in the region to face global challenges in a host of areas: geopolitics, climate change, digital transformation, health, etc. This year, it has had 3,592 participants from 72 different regions, and a trade fair, featuring more than 600 higher education institutions. The event was held at the Hong Kong Conference and Exhibition Center.

The UPF delegation was headed by the vice-rector for Internationalization, Helena Ramalhinho. Also attending were Josep Ibáñez, UPF commissioner for EUTOPIA and International Programmes; Sara López, director of the UPF International Relations Service; and Fatou N’Gum, a Service technician. Sara López also chairs the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and spoke at the meeting as a representative of the organization to provide the European perspective to a round table of experts and to the global closing dialogue of the conference.

Meanwhile, the vice-rector for Internationalization participated in the “Presidents Dialogue” of the APAIE, which focused on the challenges of educating in an unpredictable world and on how to promote resilience and trust in an era of international risks, together with officers and leaders of institutions from around the world.

For Helena Ramalhinho, UPF’s in APAIE Hong Kong bridges the gap with the world’s most dynamic academic hub “fostering strategic alliances with top-tier Asia-Pacific universities”. The vice-rector for Internationalization adds: “This presence strengthens UPF’s international reputation, offering students and researchers unprecedented opportunities to engage with the technological and scientific powerhouses of Asia while bridging the gap between European and Asian academic excellence”.

And Josep Ibáñez adds: “The recent political and economic situation has changed the international education sector and has made Asia-Pacific the most dynamic geographical region in the world. The university cooperation initiatives that have been developed there are extraordinary and are an excellent opportunity for UPF to further enrich and diversify its various dimensions of internationalization”.

UPF joins the “Study in Catalonia” stand of Catalan universities

UPF representatives were also part of the Catalan delegation at the meeting, which also involved heads of the Government of Catalonia’s Ministry of Research and Universities and of other Catalan universities. With the slogan “Study in Catalonia”, all the universities represented in the delegation of the Inter-University Council of Catalonia (CIC) had the opportunity to project their studies to the world.

Collaborations were explored in international programmes with universities in China and other parts of Asia-Pacific

At the international conference, the UPF delegation held several meetings to strengthen and expand its collaborations with local universities and others in the Asia-Pacific in general. The meetings served mainly to explore new partnerships in the field of international programmes with universities such as those in Korea or Sydney University (Australia). In addition, relations of a more institutional nature were consolidated, with the signing of the renewal of the agreement with the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

UPF also participated in Partner Day of the College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences of CityUHK and in a visit to the CUHK campus. These activities were scheduled to strengthen relations with its global network of academic and industrial partners. In addition, UPF accepted the invitation of the University of Macau to get to know its facilities, and thus gain a broader perspective of the region. Thus, UPF has learned first hand about the educational model of these universities and identified opportunities to promote short-term stays. It also found out further details concerning the public funding model of these universities and their commitment to attracting talent.

Visit to Hong Kong’s two main technology parks

The UPF vice-rector for Internationalization visited the two main technological parks of the Chinese city -the Hong Kong-Schenzen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP) and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP)- to which all the city’s universities belong. This enabled UPF to learn good practices from these universities in terms of their commitment to promoting innovation and transfer from their partnerships with top-level technology parks.  

UPF representatives at the APAIE also participated actively in different talks and round tables of the conference dedicated to such diverse topics as creativity and entrepreneurship to drive new global educational opportunities, and the internationalization of research, among others.

Thus, the UPF delegation to the APAIE enjoyed an exceptional chance to understand the potential and opportunity for collaboration with the booming Asia-Pacific region.