The International Meeting on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education and the formal launch of the UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI) took place in Shenzhen, China on 7-8 June 2016. This event was co-hosted by the ICHEI and South University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTech), and organized by the UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education, the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, and the Shenzhen Municipal Government.
The International Meeting on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education was attended by experts in various fields, including universities, research institutions, government and private sector. It was held for experts to share their achievements and experience and seek common ground regarding innovation and entrepreneurship education, as well as offer instructions and suggestions for the construction of the Research Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
The highlight of the event was the opening ceremony of the ICHEI, a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO, whose mission is to work closely with UNESCO to help higher education institutions, governments and enterprises in the Asia-Pacific region to be better prepared and equipped to fulfil their social responsibilities and serve the development needs of Member States; in particular, to utilize the potential of ICTs to support expansion, improve quality and promote equity in higher education in developing countries; and to build synergy and strengthen sub-regional and regional networks.
The launch ceremony was opened with a keynote given by the newly designated ICHEI Director Dr. Li Ming. Inaugural remarks were also made by Dr. Qian Tang, Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO, Mr. Yue Du, Secretary-General of China’s National Commission for UNESCO, and Ms. Yihuan Wu, Deputy Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. Head a.i. of the UNESCO IITE prof. Alexander Khoroshilov as a keynote speaker of the International Meeting on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education made two reports, shared IITE experience and discussed with Chinese colleagues further steps for cooperation. The representatives and participants showed support for ICHEI and expressed their desire to collaborate with ICHEI’s activities in the coming years to establish an ICT-enabled higher education environment that supports the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
At the conclusion of the Meeting, the participants reaffirmed support for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and discussed areas of further partnership and collaboration in the context of the Shenzhen Consensus, which is a historic commitment to promote, enhance and collaborate on the development and application of ICTs for higher education, and support UNESCO’s ongoing mission to promote peace, global citizenship education, poverty eradication, lasting development and intercultural dialogue.
