51¹ú²úÊÓƵ¡¯s first group of leading universities hopes to accelerate the rise of the continent within the world of higher education.

The 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn Universities Alliance, which is chaired by Tsinghua 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, aims to promote the mobility of students, scholars and staff; strengthen research collaboration and joint innovation; organise events to discuss higher education strategies and policies; and compile and publish annual reports on the state of 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn higher education.

The group has 15 founding members from across the continent, including the National 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Singapore (NUS), Peking 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Hong Kong 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Seoul National 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Tokyo and the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Malaya.

Tan Eng Chye, deputy president (academic affairs) and provost at NUS, which is the continent¡¯s leading university in the latest Times Higher Education World 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ Rankings at 24th?place, said that it was important for 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ to establish its own university alliance because its ¡°educational needs are different from the West¡± and it has ¡°many economies at various stages¡± of development.

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¡°The alliance is a timely one [when] 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ is on the rise and we need to build upon the momentum,¡± he said.

¡°Higher education will play an increasingly important role in future 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn economies, and there are rising expectations for our universities to contribute more to enhancing national growth and competitiveness, promote entrepreneurship and innovation, and address major societal challenges.¡±

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Tony Chan, HKUST president, said: ¡°51¹ú²úÊÓƵn universities are going to play an increasingly important role in future 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn society¡­It is important for leading 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn universities to have our share of voice and presences in the international arena.¡±

Devang Khakhar, director of IIT Bombay, said that while the university has ¡°built strong linkages with universities in the US, Europe and Australia¡±, it does not yet have close relationships with institutions within 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ.

¡°We saw our membership of AUA as a way of building relationships with some of the top universities in 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ,¡± he said.

Simon Marginson, director of the Centre for Global Higher Education at the UCL Institute of Education, said that the alliance was ¡°a very important initiative in the higher education world¡±.

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¡°Arguably, these are the leading or most dynamic universities in each country or system,¡± he said.

¡°A lot now depends on what becomes the main active agenda of the AUA, and of course how much priority its members give to it, within their larger set of networked relationships.¡±

However, Philip Altbach, founding director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, was sceptical about the impact of such a group.

¡°It is not clear to me if the plethora of university alliances ¨C in some cases more like self-selected clubs of elites ¨C do much good,¡± he said.

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¡°So I don't know if an 51¹ú²úÊÓƵn alliance would be useful from the viewpoint of increasing their international standing. What could be useful, however, is an informal place for universities to discuss common problems and challenges.¡±

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com