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UCL leaders expand research and join global dialogues through East Asia visit

29 April 2026

Senior UCL leaders and academics visited mainland China and Hong Kong to strengthen research collaboration, engage in global talks and launch the new Here, it will happen campaign in the region.

Provost Dr Michalel Spence speaking at Campaign launch event in Beijing

The delegation took part in a series of high-profile activities, including campaign launch events in Beijing and Hong Kong, keynote speeches at the THE Asia Universities Summit and the London Ball Foundation’s Education Summit, and academic workshops on health at Tsinghua University. 

They also met with offer holders across six cities in China - Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu, Suzhou and Ningbo - strengthening engagement with prospective students and their families. 

UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence and Vice‑Provost (Health) Professor Ibrahim Abubakar were joined by Vice‑President (Advancement) Angharad Milenkovic, and academics from the Faculties of Medical Sciences and Engineering Sciences. 

The public launch of Here, it will happen, UCL’s fundraising and engagement campaign, was marked with special events bringing together alumni, donors and friends of UCL to celebrate the university’s bicentenary and to share UCL’s ambition for delivering impact over the next century through research, education and global collaboration. The events celebrated the past 200 years of the university’s history, its global research strengths and the role of philanthropy in supporting solutions to shared global challenges. 

The campaign launches were hosted by Dr Spence, with Professor Li Wei in Beijing. In Shanghai, our bicentenary was celebrated at a curated pop-up space, attracting a total of 422 attendees from Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu over three days.

During the trip, Dr Spence gave a keynote speech at the THE Asia Universities Summit in Hong Kong, exploring the role of universities in shaping the future, with a particular focus on how institutions can influence values, governance and long-term resilience in an era of rapid technological and societal change. 

He also spoke at the London Ball Foundation Education Summit, held in partnership with the University of Hong Kong. The event brought together alumni, philanthropists and senior figures from across the education and cultural sectors, to discuss this year’s theme of AI and cross-cultural Intelligence. 

Dr Spence also visited The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he held a productive discussion with its Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Dennis Lo, strengthening institutional links between the two universities. 

In addition, he met with Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Hong Kong, and Professor Nancy Ip, President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, to explore opportunities for future collaboration. 

Dr Spence also held a roundtable with Presidents and senior leaders from a group of key feeder schools in Beijing, highlighting UCL’s longstanding commitment to China and its strategic importance to the university’s future student recruitment. 

The event helped strengthen relationships with school leaders, discuss global trends in higher education, and reaffirm UCL’s support for Chinese students in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment. Dr Spence highlighted UCL’s deep partnership with China as one built on knowledge exchange and collaboration, and emphasised the university’s confidence in the future of UK–China educational partnerships. 

Reflecting on UCL’s engagement across the region, Dr Michael Spence, UCL’s President & Provost, said: “This visit provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with partners, students and alumni across the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, enabling us to continue connecting research excellence, education and global exchange at scale, including through the launch of our new campaign. It highlighted the importance of sustained, long‑term partnerships in shaping how universities contribute to a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient world.” 

In Beijing, members of the delegation also engaged in academic activities at UCL’s strategic partner, Tsinghua University. Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, UCL Vice‑Provost (Health), delivered a public lecture on global health challenges and the importance of international collaboration in addressing them. 

At Tsinghua Medicine, UCL academics took part in health‑focused workshops on Computational Healthcare & Imaging and Hepatology, bringing researchers together to explore complementary strengths and discuss practical next steps for collaboration. 

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