Toshiharu Saiki, Keio University’s Vice-President for Research and Entrepreneurial Education and Support, traveled to Hong Kong for THE Asia Universities Summit 2026. Held over three days from April 22–24, 2026, this annual meeting is organized by Times Higher Education (THE).
More than 600
leaders who are shaping the future of higher education in Asia gathered for
this year’s summit, which took place in partnership with The Hong Kong
University of Science and Technology. They came together to share their vision
of Asia’s role in the race to realize scalable solutions to the world’s
pressing challenges. Keio’s delegation was led by Vice-President Saiki, who was
invited to speak at sessions held on the first two days of the summit.
On Day 1, he
joined THE’s Vice-President for the Asia-Pacific region, Julie McMahon, and the
Institute of Science Tokyo’s Executive Vice-President for Global Affairs,
Jun-ichi Takada, for a session titled “From zero-energy homes to healthy lives:
Spotlight on Japan’s integrated approach to sustainable living and medical
innovation.” The speakers unpacked how universities, industry, and government
in Japan are working to overcome institutional barriers to collaboration to
build a society where sustainability and healthcare are linked.
On Day 2, Vice-President Saiki debated the strategies needed to translate innovation into impact during a session titled “The unicorn factory: A practical guide from lab to launchpad.” Accompanied by speakers including the President of KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Anders Söderholm, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s Vice-President for Research and Development, Tim Cheng, he stressed the importance of fomenting a culture of entrepreneurship within institutions of higher education. The speakers explored how universities can convert research achievements into scalable companies by creating institutional incentives for innovation.
Vice-President
Saiki took this opportunity to share examples of Keio’s many ongoing
initiatives in these fields and the lessons learned during their execution,
deepening the conversation in the broader Asian higher education community.
(Photos courtesy of THE and others)