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Photo credit: Malaysia High Commission in London
The Research Centre for Global Learning of Coventry University and the High Commission of Malaysia co-organised the Policy Forum “Co-creating Equitable and Sustainable UK–ASEAN Knowledge Partnerships” in London on 30 April 2025, in conjunction with Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN.
The Forum affiliated exchanges of knowledge and policy updates between senior representatives of ASEAN embassies and UK partners, including ambassadors, minister-counsellors, and education and science attachés from ASEAN countries, as well as representatives from the British Council, the British Academy, the UK Department for Business and Trade, the Department for Education, Universities UK, the Vietnamese Intellectual Society, ASEAN academic diaspora and researchers from Coventry University.
During the Forum, three panels discussed emerging opportunities and key challenges in UK-ASEAN collaboration. Topics included the evolving priorities within the UK’s new International Education Strategy, national and regional (ASEAN-wide) partnerships with the UK in strategic areas, such as the Blue economy; the advantages of bilateral and multilateral partnership models, and the role of UK and ASEAN funders and funding schemes in fostering equitable partnerships. Discussions also addressed new definitions and metrics of success in knowledge partnerships amid rapidly shifting technological and geopolitical landscapes.
Programme, 30th April 2025
10.30-10.45 Welcome and introduction:
- H.E. Dato’ Zakri Jaafar, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the United Kingdom
- Professor Deanne Lynn Clouder, Director of the Research Centre for Global Learning, Coventry University
- Moderator: Ms. Alia Alias, Education Attaché, the High Commission Malaysia.
10.45 -11.30 Panel 1: ‘Policy Challenges and Opportunities for UK-ASEAN Knowledge Partnerships’
- Ms Dewi Petroliza, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Indonesia
- Ms Hannah Abrams, Senior International Policy Advisor, The British Academy
- Mr Richard Leach, Team Leader for Asia Pacific and the Americas, International Education Team, UK Department for Business and Trade
- Moderator: Dr Que Anh Dang, Coventry University.
11.45-12.30 Panel 2: ‘Research Results for Policy Development on UK-ASEAN Partnerships’
- Dr. Que Anh Dang, Coventry University
- Dr. Mehmet Karakus, Coventry University
- Dr. Luca Morini, Coventry University
- Professor Deanne Lynn Clouder, Coventry University
- Professor Sylvester Arnab, Coventry University
- Moderator: Dr Dimitar Angelov, Coventry University
12.30-13.15 Panel 3: ‘The Way Forward to Future Equitable and Sustainable UK-ASEAN Knowledge Partnerships.’
- Associate Professor Dr. Hanafi Ahmad Damanhuri, Minister (Education), the High Commission of Malaysia
- Associate Professor Dr. Minh-Son Pham, Vice Chair, the Vietnamese Intellectual Society in the UK and Ireland
- Mr Jamie Arrowsmith, Director of Universities UK International
- Mr Steve Woodfield, Head of Government Relations, Education, The British Council London
- Moderator: Professor Lynn Clouder, Coventry University
13.15-13.20 Thank you and Closing: Dr Que Anh Dang & Dr Hanafi Damanhuri.
In his opening remarks, His Excellency Dato’ Zakri Jaafar, High Commissioner of Malaysia, expressed his appreciation for this timely and significant forum, which provided a valuable platform for Coventry University’s researchers to contribute research-based recommendations for policy development and future partnership initiatives between the UK and ASEAN.
“The UK’s role as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner since 2021 has opened new avenues for collaboration, particularly in education and research. For decades, Malaysia and ASEAN have shared deep ties with the UK. But partnerships must evolve. The usual format of partnership that talked about “knowledge transfer” is no longer sufficient. We must now co-create knowledge-recognising and making good of the diverse expertise that exists between ASEAN and the UK in the field of higher education including, TVET, research, and innovation. This is where equity and sustainability become more than buzzwords. They are to become the foundation of partnerships that empower communities towards the future and build social resilience”, said Dato’ Zakri Jaafar, High Commissioner of Malaysia to the United Kingdom.
Professor Lynn Clouder, Director of the Research Centre for Global Learning at Coventry University said: “It is an honour for Coventry University researchers to join the colleagues assembled for the policy forum in the spirit of promoting equitable partnerships that sustain”. Emphasising the importance of mutual respect and openness to learning she highlighted the Research Centre’s “global footprint in longstanding collaborative projects built on trust and a shared passion for researching education and its societal impacts”.
Highlighting the contributions of the academic diaspora based in both regions, Dr Que Anh Dang, principal investigator of the UK-Southeast Asia PEER project, emphasised: “It is important for governments and universities to adopt effective policies and practices to better engage diaspora academics and mobilise their bicultural insights, linguistic skills, and networks in building mutually beneficial partnerships”.
Coventry University’s team has developed research-based policy recommendations grounded in relevant studies and capacity-building projects focused on UK-Asia knowledge partnerships since 2021, including:
- UK-Southeast Asia Partnerships and Exchanges baselinE Research (UK-SEA PEER)
- A Capacity-Building Sprint on Writing for Publication for Education Scholars in the South-East Asia Region (Sprint)
- The Writing Development and Mentoring Network for Early-Career Researchers in Education from Southeast Asia (SEANet)
- The Community-Centred Educational Model for developing Social Resilience (ACES) in Southeast Asia
- Playful Co-Creation: Building the Indonesia Higher Education Disability Union (I-HEDU)
- Building Disability Inclusive Research Culture in Indonesia Higher Education, BRIDGE-HE building upon I-HEDU and ACES
- The Educational Leadership and Management Fellowship Programme (LIDER) – a capacity building project for academics and education professionals in Central Asia
- Empowering Disaster-Affected Scholars through Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Capacity Building (EDAR) – a capacity building project for early career researchers affected by the 2023 earthquake in Turkey.