We are proud to share the latest outcome of the ASEF Higher Education Innovation Laboratory (ASEFInnoLab): a set of high-level white papers aimed at providing strategic advice to university leaders in adapting to Artificial Intelligence (AI) developments in three focus areas: AI in Education, AI Governance and AI for Sustainable Development.
Our virtual launch event took place on 19 February 2025, where we provided over 110 participants from all over Asia and Europe with the opportunity to interact directly with the white paper authors—all outstanding experts who are part of our network of ASEFInnoLab alumni. Watch the recording of the launch event below, or read on for a quick summary!
Participants were welcomed by Ms Cleo CACHAPERO, Higher Education Project Lead of ASEF’s Education Department, with an introduction to ASEFInnoLab. After that, Dr Claudio RIVERA of the RTU Riga Business School, Strategic Advisor for the ASEFInnoLab Programme and Editorial Coordinator for the white papers, presented the overview of these outputs with a focus on their purpose, main elements, and the Editors’ writing process.
The third opening message was delivered by Prof SHEN Yi, Professor of SIRPA & Director of the International Research Institute of Global Cyberspace Governance at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. Fudan University played a key role in the programme’s fifth edition as the host institution for its onsite event held in October, where our participants met physically to kickstart their work on the white papers and inspire the design for its upcoming edition.
The floor was then taken by the Lead Authors of the white papers to present the challenges, opportunities and key findings on their respective topics in detail:
- AI Governance: Insights on this subtheme were presented by Dr Robert Kerwin BILLONES from De La Salle University in the Philippines. The advances of AI governance will be highly dependent on the future evolution of AI, and the Governance working group identified four possible scenarios—each requiring a different approach. The keys to success, among others, lie in reliable communication ties with regulators, integrating ethics and safety into AI-related curricula, and establishing an AI innovation sandbox in higher education institutions.
- AI in Education: The strategies for navigating AI innovations in university education were introduced by Dr Monika SOŃTA of Kozminski University in Poland with the support of Dr Lafifa JAMAL of University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. The white paper covered perspectives of three different actors in higher education: faculty, students, and staff. The findings underscored the necessity of increased funding for AI adaptation, empowerment of staff and the need for collaboration across universities and economy sectors.
- AI for Sustainable Development: Mr Yang BONG of University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, supported by Dr Sharina YUNUS of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, took the floor and elaborated on the third white paper, which encompasses the themes of sustainability, social impact, and SDGs. The recommendations emphasise the need to rethink university rankings to shift the focus of the higher education sector. Furthermore, university collaborations backed by accessible lifelong learning and open data can drive progress and help our societies become more sustainable.
The insightful presentations were accompanied by brief Q&A sessions, where our audience gave questions and comments to delve deeper into the white papers’ findings and recommendations.
Finally, Mr Martin HAMMERBAUER, Senior Project Executive at ASEF’s Education Department, concluded the event and introduced plans for the sixth round of ASEFInnoLab—an exciting edition in the making that focuses on AI skills development for future needs. Our virtual participants were the first to see the ASEFInnoLab5 highlight video, which summarised the varied collaborative activities enjoyed by the onsite cohort and gave an idea of the experience that awaits our new batch of participants. You may watch the video below:
That said, we sincerely hope that you experience the upcoming ASEFInnoLab6 with us! If you wish to stay in touch for upcoming announcements, please follow ASEFEdu on all our social media platforms and subscribe to our HigherEd newsletter below. We will be happy to update you once the Open Call for Applications is out!
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