The Asian Universities Alliance Executives’ Meeting 2025 was successfully held by Seoul National University (SNU) in Seoul, Korea from November 26 to 27, 2025. Bringing together 47 delegates from 15 member universities across 14 countries and regions, this meeting focused on reviewing achievements, discussing financial sustainability, mapping the alliance’s membership development, and formulating the AUA Framework 2026-2029 to guide the Alliance’s future growth.
At the opening ceremony, Prof. Honglim RYU, President of SNU, warmly welcomed the AUA representatives to the SNU campus. In his welcome address, Prof. Ryu highlighted the unique strength of AUA, noting that "among the various international partnerships Seoul National University is part of, AUA stands out for the strong sense of partnership and trust among its members." He emphasized that with Asia standing at the center of the world economically and technologically, the AUA platform enables member universities to achieve greater things together and become a model of collaboration.
Prof. YANG Bin, Vice Chancellor of University Council at Tsinghua University, delivered an inspiring address on behalf of the founding member and permanent host of the AUA Secretariat. He reaffirmed Tsinghua’s commitment to building a shared educational community through resource sharing. Prof. Yang highlighted recent initiatives, including the opening of Tsinghua’s foundational AI courses to AUA members and the launch of the THU-AUA SDG Fellowship, which will support scholars from member universities to visit Tsinghua and support Tsinghua scholars visiting AUA member universities.
Prof. Ayesha Salem AL DHAHERI, Advisor to the Vice Chancellor of United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), also delivered remarks on behalf of AUA President Prof. Ahmed Al Raeesi, extending warm greetings to all AUA members. She also emphasized UAEU’s continued commitment to deepening collaboration and building on shared progress within AUA community.
The session on AUA program reports, chaired by Prof. Wah WAH, Pro-Rector of the University of Yangon, reviewed the implementation of key AUA initiatives in 2025. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) presented on the AUA Asia-Pacific Public Policy Network (AP-PPN) Conference. Universiti Malaya shared the outcomes of the AUA Joint Lecture Series 2025 which focused on engineering innovations. Tsinghua University reported on the Asia Deep Dive Program, themed “Sustainable Development & Youth Leadership”, which was hosted by its Shenzhen International Graduate School in October.
The session also included the handover ceremony for the AUA Innovation & Entrepreneurship Network Convenorship. HKUST, represented by Prof. Carrie LING, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center, officially handed over the network’s convenorship to Tsinghua University. Prof. LI Shuangshou from Tsinghua’s Fundamental Industry Training Center (iCenter) accepted the convenor plaque.
Following the program reviews, the session on alliance governance was chaired by Prof. Rehan SADIQ, Provost of Nazarbayev University. Ms. XIAO Qian, Dean of the Office of International Affairs at Tsinghua University, and Prof. LIM Yvonne Ai Lian, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor of Universiti Malaya, respectively presented the reports of the Working Group on Financial Sustainability and the Working Group on Member and Observer Admission. Delegates engaged in discussions on these vital topics to ensure the Alliance remains financially resilient and open to strategic expansion.
The discussion session on the Alliance's strategic direction was led by Prof. LUM Sau Kim, Associate Vice President of the National University of Singapore. The Secretariat presented the progress of structuring the AUA Framework 2026-2029, which sets a clear vision for maximizing educational and research impact over the next three years. Subsequently, Prof. Shin Cheul KIM, Associate Vice-President of HKUST, chaired the recommendation progress for the AUA Presidency 2026-2029, ensuring the institutional continuity of the Alliance.
On November 27th, the AUA Special Forum was convened to discuss the future landscape of higher education. The forum featured two sessions: “Beyond Borders: Practices of Attracting and Retaining Global Talent,” moderated by Prof. Hyojin SUNG from SNU’s Graduate School of Data Science, and "Future Shape of Degree Programs," moderated by Prof. Jung Cheol SHIN from SNU’s Department of Education.
The first panel was discussed among Prof. Vedagiri PERUMAL, the Dean of the Infrastructure Planning and Support at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), Prof. Rehan SADIQ, the Provost of Nazarbayev University, and Prof. Ayesha SalemAL DHAHERI, the Advisor to the Vice Chancellor at UAEU. The debate highlighted that while AUA member universities recognize global talent as a cornerstone of academic excellence and international reputation, they grapple with shared challenges.
The second panel was discussed among Prof. YANG Bin, Vice Chancellor of University Council at Tsinghua University, Prof. LIM Yvonne Ai Lian, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor at Universiti Malaya, Prof. Venkata Santosh Kumar DELHI, the Associate Dean of the Infrastructure Planning and Support at IITB, as well as Prof. Dong-Hun HAN Associate Dean of Student Affairs from the SNU College. Discussions included geopolitical tensions disrupting international student mobility, rigid curriculum frameworks, interdepartmental silos, and the need to balance foundational knowledge with future-ready skills.
