Taipei, Taiwan (Merxwire) - The two-day annual Southeast Asia Higher Education Summit, "The SATU Forum of Presidents of Universities in Taiwan and Southeast Asia and South Asia", was held today, November 23rd, at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU). Nearly 100 university presidents and representatives from Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines, and Brunei attended the event. The two-day conference will focus on "Open Sci-Tech Knowledge Sharing", "Cross-National Strategic Collaboration", and "Sustainable Development" to discuss the vision and challenges for higher education.

In her opening remarks, NCKU President Su Huey-Jen mentioned that over the past two years, SATU member universities have successfully linked over 800 researchers through the Joint Research Scheme (JRS) to develop collaborative exchanges. The university considers the cultivation of future international talents and the knowledge platform of sustainable issues as its important mission as an institution of higher education, which must not only assiduously face its' challenges but also bear the responsibility to bring together the academic and research strengths of strategic multinational partners to contribute to the local and global communities. Taiwan is now in a position to share its expertise and build alliances with the world, and welcomes talented people from Southeast Asia and South Asia to come to Taiwan and collaborate with Taiwanese talents.

The conference arranged for Jerzy Duszynski, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), to deliver a speech on "Promoting Global Knowledge Sharing and Supporting Networks for a Sustainable Future", Caroline F. Benton, Vice President of Tsukuba University, Japan, to share on "Strategic Partnerships in an Age of Uncertainty", and Prof. Mark Lundstrom, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering at Purdue University, USA, who is expected to share at the closing ceremony about "Nurturing Future Leaders through Resource Sharing and Collaboration," echoing the theme of the conference for achieving a sustainable future.

In the presence of the assembled distinguished guests, the delegates signed SATU's Manifesto for a Sustainable Future, which aims to contribute to a resilient future for humanity by planning future development across the following four directions: "S" Support and embrace inclusiveness across regions, "A" Ally through multi-lateral networks, "T" Transform and transfer knowledge through innovative mechanism, and ensure "U" Universal access to opportunities to fulfill each individual's potentials. Finally, participants enjoyed watching a closing video of the signing of the Manifesto of Cooperation to successfully conclude the event.

SATU President's Forum was established by National Cheng Kung University in 2003, by inviting many top universities from Taiwan, Southeast Asia and South Asia to form a cooperative relationship. The Forum is committed to regional and cross-border academic exchange and cooperation. There are now over 100 member universities from nine countries: Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

For more information about the SATU President's Forum, please visit the official website: https://satu.ncku.edu.tw/

Media Contact Information:
National Cheng Kung University International Affairs Office
em50960@email.ncku.edu.tw