About ASPIRE

Chairperson’s Message

As NTU assumes the Chair of the ASPIRE League for 2026, we do so with a strong sense of shared purpose. The League may not be a large network, but it is highly impactful, with active engagement across undergraduate and graduate programs, faculty-led research, and principal investigator collaborations, etc. This close-knit network fosters trust, agility, and meaningful exchanges across our member universities.

The challenges facing our societies demand cross-disciplinary and cross-border cooperation. Through targeted programs, joint platforms, and regular interaction, we bring together students, researchers, and faculty to tackle problems with real-world relevance. The League will continue to place science, technology, and education at the centre of its initiatives, with a focus on action, quality, and shared responsibility.

We look forward to working with all member institutions to deepen collaboration and advance solutions that make a tangible difference for Asia and beyond.

Professor Lee Pooi SeeVice President (International Engagement), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

ASPIRE League chairpersons, past and present

2009 - 2010: Prof. Ichiro Okura, Executive Vice President, Tokyo Institute of Technology

2011: Prof. Yong Taek Im, Associate Vice President, Office of Special Projects and Institutional Relations, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

2012: Prof. Chang D. Yoo, Associate Vice President, Office of Special Projects and Institutional Relations, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

2013 - 2014: Prof. Yuan Si, Vice President, Tsinghua University

2015 - 2016: Prof. Joseph HW Lee, Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, The Hong Kong Univeristy of Science and Technology (HKUST)

2017 - July 2018: Prof. ER Meng Hwa, Senior Advisor, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)

July - December 2018: Prof. Alan Chan, Vice President (Alumni and Advancement), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)

2019 - 2021: Dr. Tetsuya Mizumoto, Executive Vice President (Education), Tokyo Institute of Technology

2022 - 2023: Prof. Man-Sung Yim, Associate Vice President of the International Office, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

2024: Prof. Yang Bin, Vice President, Tsinghua University

2025: Prof. Tim Cheng, Vice-President for Research and Development, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

2026: Prof. Lee Pooi See, Vice President (International Engagement), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore