Series of Online/Offline Innovation Forums/Webinars

New Normal and Rethinking: Global Innovation in Post COVID-19 Era

Strategic Themes：

Global Trends, Opportunities and Challenges 

in Post Covid-19 Era for International Collaboration in the Global Higher Education, Global Economy and Science & Technology Innovation

Peace, Dignity and Equality on a Healthy Planet

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Internationalization & Globalization versus Embracing Innovation

The spread of the Covid-19 epidemic has had a major impact and implication on the operation of the world economy, the global governance system, and the international political landscape and the global higher education. However, from a comprehensive, dialectical and historical perspective, the essential nature of the interdependence of the human society still exists. The basic elements of economic development, the objective laws of the global governance, the global academic impact of universities and colleges and maintaining peace, dignity and equality on a healthy planet cannot be completely changed by an epidemic.

The economic globalization is one of the three main dimensions of globalization commonly found in academic literature, with the two others being political globalization and cultural globalization, as well as the general term of globalization. Economic globalization refers to the widespread international movement of goods, capital, services, technology and information. However, the world economy continues to grow. And the economies of the major OECD countries suffered during the pandemic but are all expected to grow. Emerging economies as a group continue to excel, the signature of the Regional Economic Partnership (RCEP) creates the largest free-trade zone which involves 30 % of the world population and contributes 30% of the world GDP, with China and India in particular remaining major drivers of the global expansion. China and India, according to PwC Report “The World in 2050”, will be the 1st and 2ndlargest economies by 2050.

Internationalization, globalization and embracing innovation are buzz words in the global higher education, which are on the top agenda of universities around the world in the post covid-19 era. Theoretically, internationalization can be conceptualized at several levels, including the world, region, nation, state, community, organization and individual. However, globalization is defined as the flow of technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, economy, knowledge, people, values and ideas … across border. Globalisation is seen as offering more opportunities for both developed and developing nations. Two of the main bases of globalization are information and innovation. They are highly knowledge intensive. Internationalization and fast-growing information industries produce knowledge goods and services and enable knowledge creation and transfer. The current epidemic has fact itself into the context of global higher education while the O2O (online and offline) innovative education platform has now been playing an even more important role.   

It has been widely recognized that with pressing challenges and impact imposed with current trends of anti-globalization, universities in the global higher education across the world must consolidate their global vision and institutionalize an international dimension to enable students to become global responsible leaders or full-fledged global competitors, and produce students capable to meet the complex challenges of globalization and secure the universities’ future. We believe that though internationalization is essential, in the meantime the imbedding of “innovation”, “entrepreneurship” “global mindset” as our education ethos to enhance student journey in the teaching and learning pedagogy also need to be highlighted in the process of internationalization in global higher education.

How did human society develop? Where is the driving force for development? There is no doubt that the ability of social innovation and technological innovation is crucial. Innovation is the driving force for human development. Conceptual innovation, theoretical innovation, technological innovation, and social management innovation are all the driving forces that promote the development of human society. We believe that conceptual innovation and theoretical innovation are primary. Imagine that if there is no conceptual and theoretical innovation in human society, then all other innovations are empty talks, which will undoubtedly stand still.

Not only resolving the paradox of China's economy with sustained, high-speed and stable development within 40 years, analyzing the path of China's peaceful rise, but also explaining how China put the epidemic under control on time, Embracing innovation, also regarded as innovation for peace, is a strategic model of the wise who are seeking common development, sharing resources and win-win solution. It refers to a novel and innovative solution to a complicated social problem. At the same time, it creates value for the benefit of society as a whole. We believe that the core connotation of the embracing innovation is that the elements of science and technology innovation and social innovation go hand in hand and complement each other. This is the driving force of national development and the soul of national prosperity.

The main goal of this series of innovation forums is to explore the new normal and rethinking of the global innovation trends, opportunities and challenges in the post COVID-19 era, inspire current and strategic thinking, provide a platform for exploring linkages and mechanisms, and explore appropriate and effective modes of maintaining peace, embracing innovation and sustainability, strategic alliances between governments, universities and global firms, international trade, knowledge transfer and knowledge sharing, culture creativity and technology innovation and collaboration globally. Our intent is to provoke creative and innovative ideas, by bringing together various stakeholders, including academics, researchers, university presidents, deans of business schools, corporate leaders, policy makers, venture capitalists, managers, and senior students for exchange of ideas, research findings, current experiences, best practices, and lessons learned. The intellectual lens will rotate around addressing various questions of new normal and rethinking of global trends, opportunities and challenges in the post covid-19 era with a focus on maintaining world peace, dignity and equality in a healthy planet.