Environment, innovation and education

To mark its Centenary, the ACU is delighted to announce a series of lectures by Sir David King, former Director of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford, UK.

Join us for an afternoon of talks centred on education, research and the knowledge economy, chaired by Associate Professor Dr Azman Ahmad of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam. 

Sir David King will be delivering his ACU Centenary Lecture looking at ‘the role of universities, researchers and government in shaping a country’s desire to balance its eco-credential in energy production’. 

The growth of the ‘middle class’ creates pressure not only on higher education, but also on energy and the environment.  The need for universities to train flexibly thinking people, and to look for equitable solutions to the challenges facing the world, is immediate and essential.  Researchers, together with universities and governments, need to change their focus and seek practical solutions to these problems in order to create a sustainable future. In order for countries to achieve sustainable economic growth, more will need to be done to support knowledge and to manage key resources, energy and climate change.

Professor John Wood, Secretary General of the ACU, will also be speaking, the theme of his talk being the 'challenges of institutional character for 21st century universities' focusing on what universities need to do to ensure that they stay relevant. In addition to immediacy, most universities are under pressure – both politically and socially - to expand significantly, either in terms of student numbers, or by increasing their so-called ‘relevance’ in areas such as research and innovation, or ‘social impact’ through community and industry engagement.  Increasingly, output metrics are cited to show the superiority of one university over another.

The talks will be followed by a reception.

Programme

01.30pm

• Arrival of Guests

02.00pm

• Arrival of Professor Sir David King & Professor John Wood

• Recital of Surah Al-Fatihah

• Introduction by Dr Jainatul Halida binti Jaidin

• Lecture by Professor Sir David King: “Creating a full spectrum energy country”

• Lecture by Professor John Wood: “Mission Impossible?: The challenge of ‘institutional character’ for 21st century universities”

• Question and Answer session

• End of public lecture

• Drinks reception

Download the programme here.