The first SUSTech Young Scholars Forum in Higher Education 2020 was organized and held by the Center for Higher Education Research at SUSTech campus on December 4, 2020. The theme of the forum was innovative universities and city development.

Scholars and experts gathered on campus to share their academic insights and research outputs from universities at home and abroad, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Renmin University of China, Nanjing University, Tongji University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Southwest University, Zhejiang International Studies University, La Trobe University of Australia, and Southern University of Science and Technology. 

Four panels were held with diverse topics, including regional layout and structure of higher education, the collaborative innovation of universities and cities, the dynamic mechanism of satellite campuses, the integration mode of industry and university, the regional talent mobility, characteristics of emerging universities, university governance, and the top-notch innovative talent cultivation.

A roundtable discussion was set with editors from Springer Nature, Studies in Higher Education, Chinese Education & Society, Fudan Education Forum, and Journal of Teacher Education to share their ideas on publishing in higher education.