University of Exeter strengthens global ties at WUN Annual General Meeting in Hong Kong

The University of Exeter has recently returned from the Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Annual General Meeting 2025, hosted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), with renewed momentum for international collaboration.

This year’s meeting marked WUN’s 25th anniversary and brought together more than 100 delegates from across six continents to reflect on the network’s achievements and shape its strategic direction for the years ahead.

WUN is a global partnership of 25 research-intensive universities working collaboratively to address issues of worldwide significance. The network supports high-impact international research, fosters the development of early career researchers, promotes global citizenship among students, and informs institutional policy through knowledge exchange and international cooperation.

Now in its second year as a WUN member, the University of Exeter was represented by a senior delegation comprising of Professor Lisa Roberts, President and Vice-Chancellor; Professor Richard Follett, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement); and Dr Helen Butler, Business Manager to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement. Exeter’s delegation played an active role throughout the programme, contributing to key discussions on governance, strategic priorities, and future initiatives across the network.

A special moment of the AGM was the ceremonial installation of internationally renowned medical scientist Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming as CUHK’s ninth Vice-Chancellor and President. His formal inauguration was a fitting celebration during a week dedicated to global research leadership and academic cooperation.

The three-day programme also included the WUN Presidents Forum, co-organised with the ASEAN University Network, which explored the major challenges facing leaders of global research universities. The forum opened with a keynote address from Dr Choltis Dhirathiti, Director of the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development, and featured panel discussions involving university leaders from CUHK, the University of Auckland, the University of Bristol, the University of Cape Town, Singapore Management University, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil. Conversations ranged from the role of universities in navigating economic and political shifts to the importance of cross-sector partnerships in advancing institutional resilience.

In addition to contributing to the main AGM programme, the University of Exeter held a series of productive bilateral meetings. Two new Memoranda of Understanding were signed with African partners: the University of Pretoria, supporting joint research and staff and student mobility; and the University of Cape Town, formalising long-standing collaboration in climate science, public health and social justice.

Further discussions with the University of Queensland – Exeter’s flagship [QUEX] partner – as well as UFMG (Brazil), the University of Technology Sydney and with CUHK’s discussing recent highlights from our joint ENSURE partnership, further strengthened Exeter’s commitment to building impactful, regionally diverse academic partnerships.

Professor Lisa Roberts said: “The spirit of collaboration in Hong Kong has been inspiring. We look forward to welcoming our WUN colleagues to Exeter next year, where we will continue to build on the momentum of this year’s AGM and take forward our shared commitment to global impact through research and education.”

Plans are already underway for a vibrant programme that will highlight Exeter’s world-leading research in environmental and data sciences and introduce WUN partners to the distinctive character of South West England.

With new partnerships established, strategic initiatives launched and preparations for next year’s meeting already in motion, Exeter’s participation in WUN AGM 2025 has helped set the stage for another year of transformative international engagement.