Global universities have re-affirmed their commitment to international partnership and development.
Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of Leeds, led a delegation to the World Universities Network (WUN) Annual General Meeting (AGM) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
She was joined by Professor Nick Plant, Pro-Vice Chancellor: Research and Innovation, and Professor David Hogg, Professor of Artificial Intelligence in the School of Computer Science, who addressed delegates on emerging applications in health.
The WUN is comprised of 24 universities, of which the University of Leeds is a founding member.
The organisation is committed to international partnership and collaboration, bringing together academics from diverse geographic and cultural contexts through an annual call for seedcorn awards called the Research Development Fund (RDF).
Professor Shearer West
This year the University of Leeds is contributing to 40% of the total RDF projects, taking the lead role on two bids and with co-investigators on a further six bids.
These include a project led by Dr Sharib Ali in the School of Computer Science, which focuses on computational endoscopy and clinical teams to enhance cancer treatment globally.
A project led by Dr Jon Woolfrey in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering seeks to advance soft, magnetically controlled tentacle robots that will make cardiovascular interventions less invasive.
Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds, said: “While universities have different strengths, we share a common purpose to educate, advance knowledge and collaborate in tackling global challenges.
“The WUN AGM is an invaluable opportunity to meet our international partners and contribute our expertise, values and priorities to the ongoing evolution of the network.”
As part of the conference’s presidents’ forum programme of events, focused on “addressing the challenges facing leaders of research universities”, Professor West joined fellow university leaders from Brazil, New Zealand, Singapore, Uganda and York for a panel discussion on financial sustainability.
Further information
Photo credit: The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
To find out more about the World Universities Network (WUN), visit https://wun.ac.uk/
Please contact the University of Leeds press office at pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk.