A New Dawn for Talent Development: The Formation of the Regional University Alliance “UAiTED”
Following the intensive discussions at the consultation meetings earlier this year, the 16 leading research universities from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan have founded a strategic inter- and cross-university partnership, built on existing and potential academic collaborations. This has led to the formation of the University Alliance in Talent Education Development (UAiTED), which was launched on 16 December 2019 in Taipei, Taiwan. This alliance was initiated and supported by the Sayling Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation, with the leadership and coordinating efforts of the Chancellor of University System of Taiwan, Dr. Ovid Tzeng.
The 16 founding universities of UAiTED in this phase of development include the following list of universities from the Asia-wide academic network:
Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Malaysia: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
Singapore: Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore
Taiwan: National Central University, National Cheng Kung University, National Chiao Tung University, National Taiwan Normal University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Tsing Hua University, and National Yang-Ming University.
With a shared vision to be the leading global alliance for the development of future-ready talents, the alliance, UAiTED, is committed to the preparation, promotion, and development of future talents through strategic collaboration in industry internships, education and innovation and set-up of future directions in the movement and realization of ideas for improvement. It serves as the leading independent Asia-wide membership organization seeking to provide a platform for international cooperation in practice, research, education, and innovation.
UAiTED prioritizes collaborative efforts among strategic network members in providing unique opportunities for international young talents to achieve their potential. This will be pursued by three main areas of focus: industry internships, education, and innovation. Each area is led by a steering group of experts and representatives from our member universities. Each group will prioritize their programs and activities that are aligned with the vision and missions of UAiTED. Each area works in complementary to one another in promoting joint educational programs and developing infrastructure or mechanisms to facilitate the industry-university partnership and mobility of students and faculty to create a joint higher education landscape without borders.
With the commitment and collaboration among the 16 founding universities, the Chancellor of University System of Taiwan, also the Chairperson of UAiTED, Dr. Ovid Tzeng, says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Together, we can go far!” to conclude the successful launch of the formation of UAiTED.