Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) proudly concluded its role as the local host for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN) Annual Academic Conference (AAC) and Annual General Meeting (AGM). Held from 20 to 23 November 2025 at Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West in Hong Kong, China, the four-day event drew over 400 representatives from academia, quality assurance agencies, industry experts, and policymakers from over 30 countries/regions worldwide. Under the theme “Embracing Industrial Collaboration for Quality Higher Education” and encompassing keynote speeches, plenary sessions and parallel sessions, the AAC provided a vibrant platform for exchanging ideas on the innovative strategies in the collaboration between the higher education and industry sectors, as well as discussions on current topics such as digital learning innovations, micro‑credentials, UAS models and the application of AI.
Opening Ceremony (21 November)
The Opening Ceremony of the 2025 APQN AAC & AGM, graced by Guests of Honour, including Dr Choi Yuk-lin, JP, Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong SAR, China; Dr Galina Motova, President of APQN; and Ir Prof Richard Yuen, Acting Council Chairman of HKCAAVQ, took place on 21 November to officially commence the event.
Dr Choi congratulated HKCAAVQ on its 35th anniversary, commending HKCAAVQ as the Education Bureau's "steadfast partner" and recognising the Council’s full support in assisting the Bureau’s advancement of key policy initiatives, such as the development of the Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) and applied degree programmes. Dr Choi believed that the Conference would promote worldwide exchange of insights on the important role of quality assurance in supporting the promotion of VPET as a pathway parallel to conventional academic education. Welcome addresses by Dr Motova and Ir Prof Yuen then followed. Dr Motova highlighted the Conference's focus on deepening university-industry connections that are crucial for building future-oriented learning environments and nurturing more dynamic talent for society. Ir Prof Yuen, on HKCAAVQ’s behalf, welcomed participants from across the globe, and extending gratitude to the Education Bureau, APQN and supporting organisations for their trust and support in HKCAAVQ’s organisation of this large-scale international conference.
A commemorative kick‑off, jointly officiated by Dr Choi Yuk-lin, JP, Dr Galina Motova, Ir Prof Richard Yuen, as well as Prof Dr Jianxin Zhang, Immediate Past President of APQN, and Mr Albert Chow, Executive Director of HKCAAVQ, was held to inaugurate the Conference.
Academic Conference (21-22 November)
First day’s agenda of the 2025 APQN AAC included three keynote speeches, delivered respectively by Mr Albert Chow, Executive Director of HKCAAVQ, on the topic “Development of Universities of Applied Sciences in Hong Kong”; Dr Hattori Yasunao, President of the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education of Japan, who presented on the topic “Bridging the Academia-Industry Gap: Insights from Japanese Universities and the Role of QA Agencies in Asia”; as well as Mr Bert Verhoeven, Program Director of the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Academy at the University of Newcastle of Australia, who spoke on “AI as a Pedagogical Shift: Rethinking Assurance of Learning in Higher Education”.
Two plenary sessions were also held on the first day of the event. The first plenary session, titled “Higher Education with Industry Collaborations”, was moderated by Prof Sheelagh Matear, Independent Consultant and the Former Executive Director of the Academic Quality Agency for New Zealand Universities, and featured leaders from local universities in Hong Kong including Prof Sally Chan, President of Tung Wah College; Prof Stephen Cheung, SBS, JP, President of Saint Francis University; Prof Paul Lam, SBS, JP, President of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University; and Prof Alan Lau, President of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong. The second plenary session, themed “Industry Collaboration and Quality Assurance”, on the other hand, featured global perspectives by Prof Bjørn Stensaker, Professor of Higher Education, University of Oslo, Norway; Mr Douglas Blackstock, Former President of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education; and Dr Chiu Sau-mee, Deputy Executive Director (VPET) of HKCAAVQ. The session was moderated by Ir Prof Richard Yuen, Acting Council Chairman of HKCAAVQ and Chair Professor of the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering at City University of Hong Kong.
The first day of the 2025 APQN AAC wrapped up with a gala dinner. Guests of Honour, including Dr Choi Yuk-lin, JP, Dr Galina Motova and Ir Prof Richard Yuen, gave their welcome remarks and led a toast. During the banquet, the APQN Quality Award Ceremony was held, honouring agencies and experts for their achievements in quality assurance, with HKCAAVQ receiving the APQN Successful Host Award. The gala dinner brought together guests from all over the world, and as a special highlight, HKCAAVQ arranged cultural performances including lion dance and Sichuan face-changing to showcase the unique charm of Chinese culture.
Second day’s programme featured another two keynote speeches, one plenary session and eight parallel sessions. The fourth keynote speaker, Dr Fengchun Miao, Chief of Unit for Technology and AI in Education of UNESCO Headquarters, gave a video presentation titled “Human-centred AI Competency Development”. Closing the series of keynote speeches, Dr Lucas Kavlie, Provost and Senior Professor of American National University and the University of Fairfax, delivered the final keynote that discussed “From Compliance to Co-Creation: Reimagining Quality Assurance in the AI Age”.
The last plenary session themed “Collaborations for International Accreditation”, moderated by Prof Dr Olgun Cicek, International Advisor of Turkish Higher Education Quality Council, brought together Prof Ari Purbayanto, Director of Executive Board of National Accreditation Agency for Higher Education of Indonesia; Prof Rhys Rowland-Jones, Former Commissioner of the Commission for Academic Accreditation of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of United Arab Emirates; Mdm Halinordina Mat Saat, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Management) of Malaysian Qualifications Agency; and Dr Alina Zhumagulova, General Director of Independent Agency for Accreditation and Rating of Kazakhstan.
Additionally, eight parallel sessions were successfully conducted, featuring over 30 selected presenters who delivered presentations and participated in discussions on the four sub-themes* of the Conference. They shared cross-border experiences and recent developments in quality assurance with participants.
Closing Session (22 November)
The 2025 APQN AAC concluded with a closing session, where Dr Galina Motova reviewed the key achievements of the event. She conveyed her gratitude to HKCAAVQ, and announced that next year’s event will be co-hosted by Symbiosis International University (Deemed University) in India. Dr Timur Kanapyanov, Chair of Programme Committee of this year’s event, together with Mr Albert Chow, Executive Director of HKCAAVQ, also gave closing addresses to formally bring the Conference to a close. APQN’s Annual General Meeting, along with the Board, Committee and Council Meetings were successfully convened during the event.
Post-Conference City Excursion (23 November)
The four-day 2025 APQN AAC & AGM concluded with a half-day City Excursion held on 23 November. Activities, organised by HKCAAVQ, featured an open-top bus sightseeing tour, a guided visit at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and a lunch at Hotel ICON, which is a teaching and research hotel operated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. This arrangement offered insights into Chinese and local culture, as well as enabling participants to explore how a hotel integrates education, research and business operation.
While HKCAAVQ celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2025, as a founding member of APQN since 2003, HKCAAVQ was honoured to serve as the local host of this flagship event. The successful roll-out of the 2025 APQN AAC & AGM not only reinforced HKCAAVQ's commitment to advancing quality assurance in higher education but also showcased Hong Kong's position as an international education hub.
* The four sub-themes are as follows: “Driving for Excellence in Higher Education: Role of External Quality Assurance”, “Fostering Quality of Flexible Learning Pathways”, “Innovation and Quality in Higher Education Curriculum and Pedagogy in line with Industry Collaborations”, and “Professional Relevance and Quality of Higher Education: Collaboration and Integration with Industry”.