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PolyU hosts virtual International University Social Responsibility Summit to share actionable insights and chart the role of higher education in a sustainable future

The International University Social Responsibility (USR) Summit 2022, themed “Education and Action for a Sustainable Future”, was hosted virtually by PolyU and the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) from 16 to 18 November 2022.  This biennial USRN flagship event brought together from around the world 140 speakers and over 640 online participants, including higher education leaders, academics, students and practitioners to exchange ideas, foster partnerships among universities and advance the global USR movement.  In addition to the focus on education and the global community, this years’ USR Summit further broadened its scope to attract presentations from science and technology experts in order to mobilise all-round collaborative research to make our planet more sustainable, and our communities more advanced and inclusive.  Prof. Jin-Guan Teng, President of PolyU, Prof. Ben Young, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs)  and Prof. Daniel Shek, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) kicked off the Summit, which was organised in conjunction with the 4th International Conference on Service-Learning.  President Teng addressed speakers and guests at the joint welcoming session of the International USR Summit 2022 and the 4th International Conference on Service-Learning,  commenting that the joint event was timely as the world is currently facing many challenges that require universities to promote social responsibility in order to make the world a better place. “We promote social responsibility not only in education but also in our research endeavours” said President Teng. “Be challenged and inspired by what you learn from the community and turn those findings into research ideas and projects. Bring the research back into the community where it can do the most good.” President Teng concluded his welcoming address to the educators and researchers. As the Chair of the International USR Summit 2022 Organising Committee, Prof. Ben Young believed the Summit to be an event where participants reflect on the USRN’s trajectory and an occasion to celebrate accomplishments and partnership. “The light attracts us, the vision gathers us from around the globe, the responsibility empowers us and guides us to co-create a sustainable future for the betterment of all beings on this planet” said Prof. Young.   The three-day Summit comprised various plenary and parallel sessions which delved into six sub-themes:  Assessing and Reinforcing USR Impacts; Collaborative Research to Address Global Challenges; Driving Institutional Changes for USR; Education to Cultivate Social Responsibility; Elevating Sustainable Development through Regional and Global Collaboration; and Social Innovation for Inclusive Communities. Click here for the USR Summit 2022 event playback. About the University Social Responsibility Network  The University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) was initiated by PolyU in 2015 in the belief that universities have an obligation to work together to find solutions to address the economic, social and environmental challenges facing the world today, making the world more just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable. Serving as a global platform to connect and foster partnership among members, the USRN shares ideas and resources to develop collaborative USR projects with varied scope and scale, advancing higher education as a catalyst for social change through education, research and community service. The USRN comprises 20 member institutions with wide geographic spread.  USRN website: https://www.usrnetwork.org About the International USR Summit 2022 The International USR Summit 2022: Education and Action for a Sustainable Future, hosted virtually by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University Social Responsibility Network, aimed to nurture and guide generations of new leaders who will drive social change, and translate innovative ideas into concrete steps towards a better, inclusive and sustainable future.  The USR Summit 2022 was organised in conjunction with the 4th International Conference on Service-Learning.  Service-Learning is moving into a whole new stage of institutional commitment and societal impact.   USR Summit 2022 website: https://usrsummit2022.org

PolyU President invited to speak at EU-HK SDGs Roundtable Discussions 2022

The Czech Republic Consul General in Hong Kong, Mrs Klára Jurčová, invited Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU to participate as a panel speaker at the EU-HK SDGs Roundtable Discussions 2022 that the Consulate General organised on 31 October 2022. The President joined the third roundtable on the topic of Sustainable Development Goals related to the environment and economics, together with two other panel speakers, Mr Per Augustsson, Consul General of Sweden, and Mr Simon Ng, CEO of the Business Environmental Council. Holding the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, this is the first time in Hong Kong for the Czech Republic to arrange such an event for policy exchange and aimed at experts from industry, NGOs, academia and the government, as well as Consuls General of the EU countries.

Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships) visits top partner schools in Harbin

To strengthen connections with top high schools in Mainland China, Prof. Geoffrey Q. P. Shen, Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships) and Director of Global Engagement, visited Harbin No. 3 High School, Harbin Normal University High School and Harbin No. 9 High School in mid-August. They are the leading high schools in Heilongjiang Province, with an average over the past five years of more than a dozen outstanding students coming to study at PolyU annually through the Joint Entrance Examination admission scheme. Prof. Shen's visit was warmly received by the three schools, and he had a meaningful and constructive exchange with the school principals, during which they exchanged views on how to attract more outstanding students to study at PolyU.

International Summer School 2022

The International Summer School (ISS) 2022 concluded successfully on 20 August. Starting on 14 July 2022, ISS participants undertook short-term studies at PolyU by completing credit-bearing courses offered in various disciplines, with both face-to-face and online learning.    To help the exchange students from our partner institutions integrate into Hong Kong’s local culture, ISS organized a wide range of enrichment activities. Major events included a virtual tour to the West Kowloon District led by PolyU Attachés in collaboration with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, three Chinese paper-cutting workshops, Zentangle drawing, alcohol ink painting, as well as an in-person tour that guided students to discover cultural attractions on Lantau Island such as the Tian Tan Buddha and Tai O Village.   To further expand networking opportunities during ISS, a Buddy Programme was launched whereby international students were matched with PolyU students who served as Buddies supporting learning in and off campus, significantlyenriching the ISS students’ inter-cultural experience.

USRN launches a pioneering Virtual Boot Camp: Social Innovations for a Sustainable Future

The first ever USRN Virtual Boot Camp kicked off on 5 July 2022, calling for students over the world to decode complex global challenges under the COVID new normal and to aim high by applying innovative and impactful solutions for an inclusive and sustainable future. The USRN Virtual Boot Camp, themed “Innovating for the COVID New Normal”, is a new initiative of the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN) in collaboration with Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (JCDISI) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The Virtual Boot Camp received an overwhelming response from students of USRN member institutions. In their applications, students were requested to present existing solutions or ideas that had emerged out of the COVID pandemic which they believed to have the potential to create social good. Upon careful evaluation, 45 outstanding students from Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, South Africa, South Korea and the Philippines were shortlisted to join the Camp. Throughout July 2022, they participated in teams in workshops and in sessions specifically designed for the teams to explore ideas and their possible future adoption. “The emergence of ‘COVID New Normal’ gives rise to numerous social innovations and practices across different communities, countries and continents, serving their unique contextual social requirements. All these creativities have laid the groundwork for this USRN Boot Camp,” said Professor Ben Young, USRN Co-Chair and PolyU Vice President (Student and Global Affairs), in his welcome remarks during the Virtual Boot Camp online briefing session. He added that since most universities had enhanced their digital education and communication infrastructures, USRN students were increasingly well-equipped to have confident exchanges with others online. “’Online Communication, Virtual Studying’ is a new education model which, it is anticipated, will outlast the pandemic. With the advances in AI technology, our lifestyles will be re-defined through the integration of physical mobility and virtual interaction,” he remarked. Professor Young explained the multiple purposes of the Virtual Boot Camp in this new era – to address social issues, to drive social innovations for unmet social needs, to facilitate a global exchange of ideas and practices, and to inspire the young generation to innovate for a better future. He encouraged students to make full use of the precious opportunities during the Virtual Boot Camp, to stretch their creative horizons and address societal challenges together. Mr. Ling Kar-kan, Director of JCDISI, also invited student participants of the Virtual Boot Camp to be courageous and creative to make solutions, “Only when you can be creative and innovative can the world’s future become bright” At disruptive times, such as during the COVID pandemic, innovations bring the potential to challenge existing social norms and drive forward a sustainable future. “You may share your unique experience of the disruption caused by COVID and innovate solutions to help people overcome various problems. We believe there are many opportunities for us to learn from each other’s experiences and insights,” added Mr. Ling, who in the same briefing session, advocated for transformingthe inconvenience caused by COVID into opportunities. In addition to the student participants, the Virtual Boot Camp welcomed 11 Expert Speakers and seven Specialist Mentors from USRN member institutions from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China, South Africa, South Korea, the Netherlands and the Philippines, to share insights on innovations for life in the COVID New Normal. These experienced social innovators guided students to explore and adopt ideas, and design prototypes that have the potential to social good. Students showcased their idea adoption projects on the last day of the Virtual Boot Camp on 30 July 2022. Innovative social ideas which can address the needs of the identified users, present originality and potential for scalable adoption, and show promise in enhancing inclusivity in the community were awarded a seed funding to further develop and transform their ideas into actions. They will be further given an opportunity to showcase their solution development journeys at the Social Innovation Regional Forum 2022 organised by JCDISI later this year.

2022 APAIE Conference and Exhibition

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and Exhibition was held online again from 27 March to 31 March 2022, under the theme of "Brave New Realities for Higher Education in the Asia Pacific".  

USRN Webinar Series: Social Responsibility in Teaching and Learning — What Works?

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the University of Pretoria co-host a three-week USRN Webinar Series to discuss university social responsibly in teaching and learning. 

Book Donation from Consulate General of Colombia

The book donation ceremony took place on 28 October 2021 at the Library Podium Floor. The Consulate General of Colombia donated a book about a magical place called “The Maloca of the Jaguar” in the Colombian Amazon rainforest, which has been declared a cultural and natural heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to the PolyU Library. The book is an important addition to the Library Collection and facilitate the students and staff to learn more. If you are interested to collaborate with PolyU, explore a new partnership or arrange a delegation visit, please contact us.

First Mitacs–PolyU Collaboration Creates 60 Research Internships in Canada

Vancouver, BC — Mitacs and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have signed an agreement that creates research exchange opportunities in Canadian universities for 60 senior undergraduate students. The partnership supports Mitacs’s commitment to foster international connections, which enhance research quality, create training opportunities, and build knowledge networks.   Starting in the summer of 2022 through 2024, up to 20 PolyU students will have the opportunity to join the annual cohort of the Globalink Research Internship (GRI) program. Interns will travel to Canada to undertake 12-week research projects in their areas of interest. They will count on the supervision of a professor in a Canadian university and will be invited to take professional skills training and workshops provided by Mitacs.   “PolyU is delighted to partner with Mitacs through the GRI Program. Our students are very often encouraged to demonstrate an enthusiasm for research and intellectual curiosity during their studies here, and this summer research internship at Canadian institutions offers that excellent opportunity with funding support for them to acquire valuable hands-on research skills as well as to gain international experience. I look forward to seeing the first batch of PolyU students participating in the Program next summer and hearing their exciting research projects upon return.” said Ir Professor Ben Young, Vice President (Student and International Affairs), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.   “Mitacs is pleased to embark on our first partnership with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University as we work to build meaningful international networks. These connections not only support Canadian innovation, but also are important opportunities for PolyU students to develop skills and competencies that will help them succeed. We thank our federal, provincial, and territorial funders in Canada for supporting us to fuel research collaborations.” said Dr. John Hepburn, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs.  If you are interested to collaborate with PolyU, explore a new partnership or arrange a delegation visit, please contact us.

Five PolyU Subjects Ranked in the Top 50 Worldwide

Five subjects taught at PolyU have been ranked in the top 50 worldwide in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2021. Of these, three subjects are ranked among the top 20, namely Hospitality & Leisure Management (9th), Architecture/Built Environment (18th) and Art and Design (20th). Rounding out the five subjects are Civil and Structural Engineering (21st) and Nursing (43rd). PolyU has been ranked among the world’s top 100 institutions for the second year in a row, and has risen 16 places to 75th in the QS World University Rankings (WUR) 2021. PolyU is also ranked 25th among the Top 500 Asian Universities in the QS Asia University Rankings, and 6th in the QS Top 50 under 50. Click here to learn more about the proud history and achievements of PolyU.