For immediate release 11 January 1996
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ASSOCIATION
OF EAST ASIAN RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES JOINTLY INITIATED
Presidents of eight universities from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong Japan, Korea, and Taiwan met on the campus of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on January 8-9 and decided to join forces to initiate the establishment of an association of East Asian research universities.
These universities, all of which have significant strengths in science and technology, feel that they share many common traits in their academic profiles, educational goals, R&D interests, and faculty composition. Being from the same geo raphical region, they also share a common culture and a strong sense of affinity with one ano tf er.
As East Asia enters a period of rapid growth, the time has come to create a forum which brings together leading research-oriented universities in the region to identify areas of mutual interest where there can be productive collaboration: exchange of faculty and students; development of common curricula and transferable credits; sharing of facilities, information, and materials; cooperation on academic and applied research projects; joint sponsorship of topical conferences, contests, and international events; and other academic endeavors.
Nine universities, to be joined by several others in the region, will initiate the establishment of the Association of East Asian Research Universities. Together they will focus on science and technology - as an experiment and a first step. The nine are, in alphabetical order, Fudan University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (whose President was to participate in the meeting), Pohang University of Science and Technology, Tsing Hua University (Hsinchu), Tsinghua University (Beijing), University of Science and Technology of China, University of Tokyo, and University of Tsukuba.
A Board was established as a governing body. President Chia-Wei WOO of HKUST and President Hiroyuki YOSHIKAWA of the University of Tokyo were elected Chairperson and Vice Chair erson, respectively, to serve along with three other Board Members for a term of two years. T R e three are: President Sooyoung CHANG of the Pohang University of Science and Technology, President Chun-Shan SHEN of Tsing Hua University (Hsinchu), and President YANG Fujia of Fudan University.
The Secretariat, headed by MS Loretta Pang, will be located on the HKUST campus during the two-year period.
A general meeting is planned for July-August 1996, to be held in Tokyo and Tsukuba. It is hoped that certain joint academic activities will be conducted at the same time.
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