25-05-2025
ASEAN 25: Shaping The Future Of ASEAN Through Education, Innovation And Sustainability
Career-ready from Day One: Sunway students work on real-world industry projects, not just assignments.
Education stands as one of the most powerful forces for transformation in the lives of people across ASEAN. Recognising this, the bloc has made inclusive and quality education a cornerstone of its vision for sustainable regional development.
ASEAN acknowledges that quality education not only leads to improved health outcomes and greater social capital but also fosters peaceful, gender-equal societies and opens the door to decent employment opportunities. Importantly, it helps build a resilient, competitive, and future-ready workforce—one equipped to navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving world.
Beyond its role as a driver of social and economic advancement, education serves to heighten collective awareness and foster a shared ASEAN identity.
To realise these goals, the region is focused on key priorities: advancing future-ready education across all levels—from basic to higher education and technical and vocational training; ensuring inclusivity; strengthening the capacity of educators; and mobilising resources through strategic partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders.
As Malaysia takes on the role of ASEAN Chair in 2025, one institution that exemplifies this commitment to regional cooperation and forward-thinking education is Sunway University.
With a strong foundation in sustainability, innovation, and global collaboration, Sunway University is not only transforming higher education in Malaysia—it is helping to shape the future of learning across the ASEAN region.
The education hub situated in the dynamic enclave of Sunway stands at the forefront of ASEAN's goal to ensure lifelong learning, equity, inclusion, and quality education. In line with ASEAN's Education Agenda, the university offers a holistic model of learning that goes beyond academics. Students are empowered with subject expertise, digital fluency, strong values, and a deep sense of purpose that prepares them to contribute meaningfully to society and the planet.
To ensure graduates are future-ready, Sunway University has implemented a pioneering Generative AI Guiding Framework and Institutional Policy—one of the first of its kind in Malaysia. Every student is required to complete a 'Fundamentals in AI' course, while AI literacy is seamlessly embedded across disciplines. Coupled with mandatory programmes on integrity, sustainability, and community service, this approach develops socially responsible, innovative, and globally competitive individuals.
With increasing enrolments from ASEAN countries, Sunway's appeal lies in its dual-degree collaborations with world-renowned institutions like the UK's Lancaster University and the Arizona State University in the US. These partnerships enable students to access globally recognised qualifications at an affordable cost, right from Malaysia—making Sunway a magnet for international students across Southeast Asia.
Most universities have a campus, only Sunway University has a city.
Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025 arrives at a pivotal moment. In an increasingly complex and competitive global environment, Sunway University recognises the opportunity to shape regional direction and integration, particularly in science, technology, and sustainable development.
The institution believes that a more harmonised and connected ASEAN offers immense opportunities.
For Malaysian firms, this means building regional supply chains, entering new markets, and enhancing innovation capacities. Sunway University supports these ambitions by advocating for stronger industry-academia collaboration, particularly in shaping Malaysia's 13th Economic Plan and the New Industrial Master Plan 2030.
At the regional level, the university urges more cross-border collaborations in strategic sectors like transport, energy, agriculture, and education—sectors that can drive shared prosperity and regional resilience. It also calls for deeper SME engagement and greater visibility into ASEAN's regulatory frameworks to empower Malaysian and ASEAN businesses alike.
Sunway University also plays an active role in shaping ASEAN's future through partnerships with policymakers and institutions across the region. The university's researchers have co-led the 'ASEAN Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) Ecosystem Foresight 2035' with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. This landmark study analyses the STI landscape in ASEAN, offers future-ready scenarios, and recommends strategies to build collective resilience and shared prosperity.
Taking a step further, it also launched collaborative research programmes with leading ASEAN universities, offering seed grants, PhD scholarships, researcher mobility funds, and regional symposiums. These initiatives align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and aim to solve shared challenges from biodiversity to food security and climate adaptation.
By hosting the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) Asia, the university is serious and committed to the sustainability agenda to the extent that students can obtain a Master's in Sustainable Development Management at Sunway University.
Sunway University is a private, not-for-profit institution rooted in a deep commitment to planetary health and sustainable development. Anchored by flagship centres like the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development and the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, the university combines global thought leadership with local relevance.
In just three years, the university has grown from 7,800 to 11,700 students, and is projected to reach 20,000 students by 2029, with up to 30% international enrolment. A series of new facilities—including a state-of-the-art Sunway Business School, a Net-Zero Engineering building, and the Sir Jeffrey Cheah Performing Arts Centre—will support this rapid expansion. Plans are also underway for a new building for the Sir Jeffrey Cheah Sunway Medical School, reinforcing Sunway's role in healthcare education.
Sunway's research excellence is also gaining global recognition. The university will publish over 2,200 scientific articles in 2025 alone, with a marked rise in quality through the recruitment of top 2% global scientists (as ranked by Stanford/Elsevier). This focus has catapulted Sunway into the Top 400-500 bracket of the Times Higher Education (THE) Global Rankings, making it the only private ASEAN university ranked across QS, THE, and ARWU/Shanghai.
For two consecutive years, Sunway has also been ranked #1 in Asia by AppliedHE among ASEAN private universities.
With its strong regional partnerships, future-focused curricula, and relentless pursuit of excellence, Sunway University isn't just preparing graduates for the future — it is helping shape the future of ASEAN itself. Related
