Global Higher Education Interdisciplinary Network

Asia Pacific Members

First Asia Pacific Meeting: 28th April 2026

Interdisciplinary Leadership, Institutional Collaboration, and Societal Impact

The Asia-Pacific Regional Chapter first convened on 28th April 2026, bringing together senior research leaders from universities across Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Indonesia to explore how the Global Higher Education Interdisciplinary Network could support institutional approaches to interdisciplinary science and research leadership.

Participants agreed that interdisciplinary collaboration is increasingly essential for addressing complex global challenges, including climate change, food security, biodiversity, geopolitical instability, and public health. Members emphasised that the network’s value should lie not in interdisciplinarity for its own sake, but in enabling meaningful societal impact and institutional transformation through leadership-level collaboration.

A major theme throughout the discussion was the importance of practical institutional exchange. Members expressed strong interest in sharing best practices around governance models, interdisciplinary strategy, implementation approaches, and organisational structures, while also identifying common structural barriers faced across institutions and regions. Participants also highlighted the importance of stronger communication between universities to better understand each institution’s strategic priorities, strengths, and capabilities before defining shared collaborative goals.

There was also broad support for GHEIN acting as a platform for regional and international collaboration beyond individual institutional priorities. Members identified opportunities for joint research clusters, policy engagement, mobility initiatives, and stronger relationships with industry, governments, and funders to help interdisciplinary research achieve greater scale and influence.

Going forward, the chapter will focus on developing a more structured and action-oriented agenda, ensuring the network delivers tangible outputs, measurable value, and member-driven priorities. Participants stressed the importance of maintaining momentum through regular engagement, clear thematic focus areas, and governance shaped collaboratively by the membership itself.