The South and Southeast Asian University Network Sub-committee of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education is unveiled at Yunnan University on Sept 23. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

The South and Southeast Asian University Network (S&SE ASIAN UN) Sub-committee of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education was established with an inaugural meeting held at Yunnan University (YNU) on Sept 23.

The first innovation and entrepreneurship education forum was also held that same day.

Hu Jinming, vice president of YNU, addressed the inaugural meeting, pointing out that the construction of an innovation-driven country is essential to the cultivation of new types of talent.

He said that the establishment of the sub-committee is meant to further integrate the resources of universities at home and abroad and build a new platform, path, and model for the development of innovation and entrepreneurship education in all aspects with the participation of multiple subjects.

Attaullah Shah, president of Karakoram International University in Pakistan, and Yu Cangbi, executive director of the secretariat of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Education Alliance of China at Tsinghua University, gave speeches at the meeting.

The inaugural meeting of the sub-committee and the first innovation and entrepreneurship education forum are held online. [Photo/ynu.edu.cn]

They stated that the sub-committee will expand upon new ideas for universities in South and Southeast Asia to jointly promote the reform of innovation and entrepreneurship education, build a new platform for in-depth cooperation with strong resources, and create a new model for higher education serving regional economic and innovative development.

At the first innovation and entrepreneurship education forum, 21 domestic and foreign experts and scholars shared their respective universities’ experiences in reform, exploration and platform construction in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship education, and discussed project incubation strategies, sustainable entrepreneurship models, and an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Experts agreed that the establishment of the sub-committee will help cultivate talent with an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, strengthen the teaching faculty, and promote discipline development and scientific research while also helping with the construction of the Belt and Road.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the secretariat of the S&SE ASIAN UN has overcome the difficulties brought about by the epidemic and worked to a series of anti-epidemic activities to promote its development.

Moving forward, the sub-committee will actively promote innovation, talent training, teacher development, expert think tanks, and project incubation for international innovation and entrepreneurship education cooperation and exchanges.

It will also build a strong platform for resource integration and sharing, cooperation and exchange among universities, enterprises, scientific research institutes, and incubators.