On the 14^th of March 2017, the London-based Times Higher Education magazine invited SUSTech’s president Chen Shiyi as well as Associate Vice President for International Affairs and Chief Operating Officer Lu Chun who went on behalf of Professor Chen and SUSTech to the 2017 Times Higher Education Asian University Summit held in Ulsan, South Korea. President Chen was unable to attend as he was participating in the National Party Congress in Beijing which was held at the same dates, however Lu Chen presented a video introduction of Professor Chen in which he cordially greeted the audience, and announced that the 2018 edition of the summit will be held here at SUSTech in Shenzhen, the first in Mainland China.

Lu Chun introduced SUSTech

At the closing ceremony of the 16^th Summit Lu Chun extended his greetings to the rest of the guests and thanked them for their involvement in the 2017 edition. He said he looked forward to receiving them in 2018 at SUSTech to attend the next summit and introduce SUSTech and the city of Shenzhen. This was an opportunity to present the university to education industry leaders and media.

President of Ulsan University Yeon Cheon Oh, THE editor Phil Baty and SUSTech’s Lu Chun

The 2018 Times Higher Education summit for Asian Universities will be for the first time held in mainland China right here at SUSTech from the 5th to the 7th of February 2018. Building on the success of the summits at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2016 and Ulsan University in South Korea in 2017, next year’s gathering will bring together higher education sector leaders, policy makers, inspiring academics and industry representatives to China. The event will attract a wide range of scholars and leaders from the educational sector from all over the world, as well as political, cultural and social figures, a significant place in the international spotlight for SUSTech.

Times Higher Education is a London-based education magazine published weekly. They publish the Times Higher Education World University Ranking which is recognised by the international public opinion. They hold a main global summit, as well as various regional ones, during which crucial topics are discussed such as education, research and innovation, as well as exchanges on common issues that the industry faces.

This year’s summit attracted more than 220 delegates from 86 colleges and universities in 24 countries. The summit focused on the relationship between industry, academia and research, the fourth industrial revolution, university governance, innovation and cooperation, business practice, university rankings and its role in university research teaching, collaboration and other topics. The insitute also released the 2017 Times Asian University ranking.