The Sixth Conference on the Construction of World-Class Research Universities
The Sixth Conference on the Construction of World-Class Research Universities (第六屆世界一流研究型大學建設研討會), organized by the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) and hosted by its Center for Higher Education Research, was successfully convened at SUSTech on 21 December 2025. This year's symposium centered on China's strategic needs and the evolving trends in higher education, focusing its theoretical discussions on the theme "Development and Evaluation of New-Model Research Universities." (新型研究型大學發展與評價)
The event delved into how institutional innovation, interdisciplinary integration, and industry-academia-research collaboration can drive the high-quality development of universities. It also facilitated multi-level exchanges on establishing evaluation mechanisms that better reflect a university's societal contribution, innovative capacity, and potential for sustainable growth.
Professor Yuzhuo Cai from the Department of Education Policy and Leadership at The Education University of Hong Kong, who also serves as Co-Director of the Global Research Institute for Finland, Europe, and the Global South Education (GRIFE) and Programme Leader of the MA in Comparative Education and Collaborative Innovation, was invited to participate. He contributed to the keynote session on “The Transformation of European Universities and Its Implications for Building New Research Universities in China” (歐洲大學轉型及對中國建設新型研究型大學的啟示).
From the perspective of comparative education, Professor Cai explored the developmental paths and transformational experiences of higher education institutions in Europe. Contrasting these with China's current goals of establishing new research universities, he provided insights that integrate international perspectives with local applicability. His address focused on the evolving role of universities within contexts of innovation, social responsibility, and globalization, offering significant academic and policy references for relevant fields.
