On November 5, the 7th Annual Meeting of the Hainan University (HNU) International Advisory Board (IAB) was held at the International Academic Exchange Center on the Haidian Campus. Chair of the HNU Council Li Hu, President Luo Qingming, Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other university leaders attended the event. Fourteen IAB members, including Chair Da Hsuan Feng, attended the meeting in a hybrid format. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Yue Wen, HNU’s Vice President.
On behalf of HNU, Li Hu extended a warm welcome to the participating IAB members and expressed his gratitude to them for their ongoing support. He emphasized that driven by the national strategy and regional development needs, HNU will break down disciplinary barriers to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in research and talent development. He said that with cutting-edge research outcomes, HNU will promote reforms in teaching and train top-tier innovative talent. “We will foster new growth engines with cross-disciplinary integration so as to create an exemplary model of integrated reform for the development of education, science, and talent.” Li added.
Meanwhile, HNU must focus on building an ecosystem of “four-chain integration” (integration of education, talent, innovation and industry) to inject vitality into fostering new quality productive forces. Its reform and development owe an immeasurable debt to the unwavering support and expert guidance of all IAB members. He hoped that the IAB members continue to offer advice for the university’s growth, working together with HNU to contribute wisdom to both the Hainan Free Trade Port development and the building of an education powerhouse.
Luo Qingming delivered a report titled Embracing the Hainan FTP: From Innovation to Transformation. He summarized the university’s achievements over the past year and achievements made during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, and mapped out the development strategies and goals for HNU in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030). He acknowledged that in past annual meetings, all IAB members provided insightful suggestions for HNU in making critical decisions, contributing to its high-quality and leapfrog development. Luo hoped the IAB members launch a comprehensive evaluation for the university’s development strategy, so as to ensure that HNU’s development of aligns with the trends of global higher education, the national development priorities, and the objectives of FTP development, identifying the direction for HNU’s high quality growth in the coming years.
Professor Da Hsuan Feng, IAB chair, presented an annual report to the meeting, highlighting IAB’s role in empowering HNU’s talent development, discipline advancement, research innovation, and global collaboration. He pledged deeper engagement to share cutting-edge insights, bolster academic excellence, bridge international exchanges, attract top talent, optimize resource allocation, and strengthen team-building efforts to propel the university toward world-class status.
At the meeting, Luo Qingming presented letters of appointment to Professor Felix Dapare Dakora (in person), Professor Mohammed Firuz Asnan (online), Professor Tang Ningyu (online). These are the newly appointed IAB members.
Vice Chair Dr Carter Tseng and IAB member Ms. Olivia Ho Cheng presented honorary certificates to student representatives who won the IAB Specialized Scholarship.
Six principal investigators of the “First-Class Discipline Breakthrough Plan” delivered reports on their respective areas. IAB members conducted an in-depth discussion on the topics in their reports and accordingly provided insights and suggestions.
Translated by Chen Chuanxian
