28 October 2026 

HSUHK participated in the Global University Presidents and Leaders Summit 2026, held from 27 to 28 October at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The high-level international platform brought together university presidents and leaders to exchange views on how higher education can respond to global change, community needs and the development of future talent.

Professor Joshua Mok, President of HSUHK, chaired the panel session “The Role of Public and Private Universities in Serving Community Needs and Driving Innovation in the AI Era”. He shared his perspectives on how universities with different missions and strengths can work together for the good of society.

Professor Mok highlighted that public and private universities should not be viewed as competing models, but as complementary parts of a resilient and effective higher education ecosystem. While public universities often contribute research intensity, institutional scale and extensive infrastructure, private universities can offer agility, responsiveness, teaching innovation and close stakeholder engagement. He stressed that institutional diversity must be supported by system coherence and a shared commitment to societal goals.

Looking ahead, Professor Mok identified five priorities for higher education: redefining lifelong learning, strengthening interdisciplinarity, adopting and advancing artificial intelligence responsibly, broadening measures of institutional success, and building effective ecosystems across universities, industry, government and communities.

During the event, HSUHK signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece to strengthen collaboration in academic and research activities and student exchange. The University management also explored collaboration opportunities with several prestigious universities, including Hokkaido University in Japan, De La Salle University in the Philippines, and the University of Bristol in the UK.