The USR Summit 2021, a biennial flagship event hosted by the University Social Responsibility Network (USRN), a global alliance comprised of 16 world-renowned universities including PolyU, will be held online from 3 to 5 February.

The USRN was established in 2015, with a mission to advocate broader social responsibility in the higher education sector. Every alternate year, USRN member institutions will take turns to hold the International USR Summit - a platform to connect and foster partnerships among world-renowned universities, and to share insights in promoting university social responsibility, thereby generating positive social impact and driving the sustainable development of the world.

The University of Pretoria from South Africa is the host for this year. A forward-looking theme “University Social Responsibility: Priorities for the Next Decade” has been set to steer discussions on advancing the scholarship and practice of USR in higher education. More than 60 presentations will be conducted online by speakers from around the world, to share insights on USR and discuss the way forward in different aspects.

Speakers from PolyU include Dr Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President and Co-Chair of the Executive Committee of USRN; Professor Angelina Yuen, Hon. Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences and former Vice President (Student and Global Affairs); as well as representatives from the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation and the Service-Learning and Leadership Office.

To learn more about this year’s speaker line-up and the topics of the presentations, please visit the USR Summit 2021 official website.

To understand the vision and mission of the USRN, please click here.