3rd UTB UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS’ FORUM
“Reimagining Higher Education: Navigating Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in a Geopolitical, Digital and Sustainable Era”
Date: 21st October 2025
Venue: Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Darussalam
Background
Higher education stands at a pivotal crossroads, shaped by rapid technological advancements, shifting geopolitical dynamics, and the urgent need for sustainability. As institutions worldwide grapple with these transformative forces, leaders must rethink traditional models to foster resilience, inclusivity, and innovation. This University Presidents’ Forum brings together visionary academic leaders to explore how higher education can adapt and thrive in an era defined by digital disruption, global interconnectedness, and climate imperatives.Key discussions will address:
- The rise of AI and digital learning.
- The evolving role of universities in a polarized world.
- Strategies for integrating sustainability into institutional missions.
How can higher education balance global collaboration with regional relevance? What policies and pedagogies will prepare students for an uncertain future? And how can universities leverage technology while ensuring equitable access?
By fostering dialogue on these critical issues, the forum aims to chart actionable pathways for higher education to remain a catalyst for societal progress. This forum also aims to foster regional collaboration among universities, enabling institutions to collectively address shared challenges in an era of rapid transformation. Participants will exchange best practices in digital education, sustainable development, and transformative leadership to enhance institutional resilience. The event will serve as a platform to explore innovative solutions for boosting student employability, deepening industry-academia partnerships, and accelerating research commercialisation. By facilitating dynamic dialogue and knowledge-sharing, the forum seeks to strengthen professional networks among academic leaders, laying the groundwork for future joint initiatives that advance higher education’s role in driving societal progress. Together, these efforts will position universities as key actors in shaping a more connected and adaptive regional ecosystem.
Possible outcomes from the forum include international collaborations, policy recommendations to ease academic barriers, risk-mitigation framework, ASEAN-centric alliance and joint statement advocating for academia as a neutral geopolitical space.
Themes and Discussion Tracks
The theme, "Reimagining Higher Education: Navigating Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities in a Geopolitical, Digital and Sustainable Era," reflects the need for universities to adapt to, digital transformation, sustainability, and global competitiveness while addressing challenges caused by geopolitical pressures, like funding, employability, and technological disruption. There will be three main discussion tracks for the University Presidents’ Forum followed by a roundtable session to wrap up the discussion.Session 1: Innovative Models for Future-Proofing Graduates – Skills for 2030.
To thrive in 2030, graduates need Industry 4.0 skills (AI, IoT), stackable micro-credentials, and entrepreneurial mindsets. Universities must pivot to modular employer-aligned learning that blends technological fluency with adaptive problem-solving. The future demands education ecosystems where skills are portable, innovation is core, and lifelong learning is the norm.
Session 2: Digital Transformation in Higher Education for Sustainability and Green Campuses.
AI and hybrid learning drive sustainable higher education, cutting carbon via smart campuses. Cybersecurity protects digital-green integration, while universities pursue carbon-neutral operations, renewable energy, and eco-focused research. Green funding accelerates innovation, merging tech and sustainability. The result: campuses that educate and embody planetary responsibility—bridging digital transformation with a zero-waste future.
Session 3: Funding, Internationalisation Challenges and Geopolitical Influence.
Universities grapple with financial sustainability, geopolitical tensions, and ethical internationalisation. Diversifying revenue, safeguarding research, and balancing global collaboration with sovereignty are key. As borders harden, institutions must innovate funding models while navigating visa barriers and diplomatic headwinds. The challenge: fostering cross-border knowledge exchange in an era of competing national interests—without compromising academic freedom or institutional resilience.
Session 4: Roundtable Discussion: Moving Forward – Collaborations that bridge the future.
As this forum draws to a close, we invite the leaders for a culminating roundtable to reflect on key insights, celebrate share commitments and chart actionable pathways for collaboration. University Presidents will highlight bold visions, mutual responsibilities and concrete steps to transform dialogues into impact, to underscore how partnerships forged today can bridge divides and build a more resilient equitable tomorrow.
Registration
Interested participants are kindly requested to complete the registration form to receive the official invitation letter and invoice. The registration fees for UTB-UPF 2025 are outlined below. [Deadline: 20th September 2025]| Category | Fee / per participant | Category |
|---|---|---|
| International | BND 200 |
|
| Local | BND 30 | Access exclusively to the UPF |
- Register through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/gMXEuMV176
- Make payment and email your payment receipt to:
utb.upf@utb.edu.bn
Subject: “Registration Payment - [Your Full Name]
Please clearly indicate the following information in the transaction remark:
UTBUPF2025, Name of attendee. For example: UTBUPF2025, Wa’ie Rashid
Payment can be made by bank transfer.
| Account Name: | TABUNG UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI BRUNEI |
| Account Number: | 00-001-01-004518-4 |
| Bank Name: | BANK ISLAM BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (BIBD) |
| Swift Code: | BIBDBNBB |
| Bank Address: | LOT 159, JALAN PEMANCHA, BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN BS8711, NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM |
Programme Events
| SESSION 1: INNOVATIVE MODELS FOR FUTURE-PROOFING GRADUATES – SKILLS FOR 2030 | |
|---|---|
| 9:00 am – 9:30 am | Keynote Session 1 (30 mins) Yang Mulia Datin Paduka Professor Dr. Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman Vice – Chancellor, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Darussalam |
| 9:30 am – 10:15 am | Panel Discussion 1 (45 mins) |
| 10:15 am – 10:45 am | Morning Break | SESSION 2: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CAMPUSES |
| 10:45 am – 11:15 am | Keynote Session 2 (30 mins) Yang Mulia Professor Dr. Sibrandes Poppema President, Sunway University, Malaysia |
| 11:15 am – 12:00 pm | Panel Discussion 2 (45 mins) |
| 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm | Lunch Break | SESSION 3: FUNDING, INTERNATIONALISATION CHALLENGES AND GEOPOLITICAL INFLUENCE |
| 1:45 pm – 2:15 pm | Keynote Session 3 (30 mins) Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman Vice Chancellor, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia |
| 2:15 pm – 3:00 pm | Panel Discussion 3 (45 mins) |
| 3:00 pm – 3:30 pm | Afternoon Break | SESSION 4: MOVING FORWARD – COLLABORATION THAT BRIDGE THE FUTURE |
| 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm | Roundtable Discussion (All Presidents and Vice Chancellors) |
| 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Scheduled Downtime |
| 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm | STE – Connect Dinner | END OF 3rd UTB – UPF 2025 |
| KEYNOTE SPEAKER | ||
|---|---|---|
| KEYNOTE SPEAKER 1 |  |
Yang Mulia Datin Paduka Professor Dr. Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman Vice – Chancellor, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Darussalam |
| KEYNOTE SPEAKER 2 |  |
Yang Mulia Professor Dr. Sibrandes Poppema President, Sunway University, Malaysia |
| KEYNOTE SPEAKER 3 |  |
Professor Dato’ Seri Ir. Dr. Noor Azuan Abu Osman Vice Chancellor, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia |