International Summit to drive innovation for greater impact

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Featuring high-profile speakers who provided a wide range of thought-provoking insights, the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Innovation and Impact Summit brought together more than 200 innovators, entrepreneurs and policymakers.

The two-day event, co-hosted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), also gave influential figures in the field of higher education the chance to address issues affecting institutions around the world.

The main theme was “powering universities' economic and social impact through innovative research and teaching". This allowed speakers and panellists to explore topics including the local and global impact of university research and how to measure it. 

Citing a study by the University of California Riverside, Phil Baty, THE editorial director for global rankings, noted that three-quarters of the 50 top ground breaking discoveries and inventions of the last 50 years were made by universities. These include the polio vaccine, computers, MRI, IVF and cell phones.

“Perhaps the single most remarkable fact is that these world-changing breakthroughs have been driven by universities which only receive a modest share of research financing,” Baty said.

In his opening remarks, PolyU president Timothy W. Tong had pointed out that universities must act as a powerhouse of knowledge and innovation, turning discoveries to practical use. He noted PolyU’s reputation for transferring research findings from the laboratory to real-world applications which offer meaningful benefits for mankind.