Hong Kong Hosts World Class University Presidents Forum 2026

Education leaders from around the world convened in Hong Kong for the World Class University Presidents Forum 2026, held from November 4-5 at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The event brought together university presidents, renowned scholars, and international education leaders representing more than one-third of the world's top 50 universities. Under the theme "Higher Education Reimagined: Innovating for the Future," participants discussed critical issues such as talent cultivation in the intelligent age, technology and innovation driving the future economy, and universities' response to major global challenges. The forum, covered by Media OutReach Newswire, reinforced Hong Kong's position as a global hub for higher education and promoted academic collaboration and exchanges.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chan Kwok-ki, Acting Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), highlighted the transformative role of universities. "We live in an age of rapid technological change, systemic economic shifts, and unprecedented global challenges," he said. "In this transformative landscape, universities are no longer just communities of learning and skills development. They are engines of innovation, guardians of truth, and architects of our collective future." He noted that Hong Kong is home to five universities ranked among the world's top 100, and the latest QS World University Rankings: Asia 2027 listed five Hong Kong universities in Asia's top 10 and three in Asia's top five. Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR, emphasized that the forum is part of a strategic series of initiatives promoting the "Study in Hong Kong" brand worldwide. She also pointed to the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town under the "One town, Five elements" framework, which will integrate higher education, advanced research, market innovation, vibrant living spaces, and top-tier talent to foster deep Industry-Academia-Research integration.

The forum also featured several heavyweight interuniversity co-operation signing ceremonies, including a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Central South University and Monash University, an MOU between Zhejiang University and HKUST on establishing a joint innovation centre, a Trilateral Joint Seed Fund agreement among the University of Warwick, Nanyang Technological University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and a student exchange agreement between Trinity College Dublin and Nanjing University. These agreements mark new milestones in global higher education and research collaborative innovation. Dr Choi remarked that assembling such a distinguished constellation of global academic leadership strongly reaffirms Hong Kong's standing as an international education hub and significantly enhances the city's discourse power in the global educational arena.