At Lingnan University, the maxim ‘impact with care’ is shaping a research culture that prioritises the most pressing issues facing 21st-century society and leverages the power of international partnerships to change the world
University research strategies can be expansive and complicated, but the best of them can often be gathered under a simple mission statement. Lingnan University prides itself on social impact, making a difference locally and globally with research projects that tackle complex issues such as well-being and youth unemployment.
As Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Lam Man Tsan chair professor of comparative policy and vice-president of Lingnan University, explains, “impact with care” is the philosophy that underpins all the university’s teaching and research.
“’Impact with care’ is the essential theme,” Mok says. “’Impact with care’ is aligned with our university motto, ‘education for service’. This is the motto for students and faculty, serving the community. When conducting our teaching, student-learning and research-related activities, we are mindful of impact.”
Lingnan’s academic programme and research activities are guided by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The breadth and scope of the SDGs offer plenty of opportunity for researchers to tackle multiple issues within one project. They offer a pathway for Lingnan to take its “impact with care” ethos global.
“We conceptually want to link our research and knowledge transfer activities with that of the UN SDGs,” says Mok. The success of Lingnan’s research has brought it international recognition. Mok is one of seven of the university’s scholars included on Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2 per cent most-cited scientists. Mok says the true benefit of appearing on this list is the opportunities it presents for collaboration.
“We are also attracting more of our peers internationally to work together,” he says. “As Hong Kong is truly an international city in Asia, I think I am maintaining the connectivity with the international community by working together, putting the right minds together, and picking their brains to find the best solution for developing a better society. It is a core responsibility for researchers.”
Having recently returned from the 2022 Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress in Glasgow, Mok is keen to create more international partnerships with like-minded institutions. “During the THE conference, everyone was talking about climate change,” he says. “Climate change is confronting and facing every person and, as an educator, it is important to engage our faculty, our students and people from all walks of life – not only geographers or scientists – to be aware of the importance and impact of climate change on daily life, on our consumer culture.”
People the world over face socio-economic issues such as unemployment, access to education and inequality. That so many of 21st-century society’s problems are not contained by borders only underlines the importance of the SDGs and how they help institutions find common cause – just as Lingnan has recently done with Durham University.
“Universities and professors with like minds will come together. We signed a memorandum of understanding based on our conversation. Durham has been pursuing a similar strategy for research and knowledge transfer, supporting sustainable development. That is so important.”
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