Asia-Pacific Symposium on Sustainable Development in Higher Education

• The Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS), Hiroshima University, Japan
• Hamburg University of Applied Sciences,  Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management" , Germany
• Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

• Professor Walter Leal, Head of the Research and Transfer Centre "Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management" , Hamburg, Germany
• Prof. Ayyoob Sharifi, The IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University, Japan
• Prof. Shinji Kaneko, The IDEC Institute, Hiroshima University, Japan

• European School of Sustainability Science and Research (ESSSR)
• Inter-University Sustainable Development Research Programme (IUSDRP)
• UK Consortium of Sustainability Research (UK-CSR)
• German Consortium of Sustainability Research (DEKONA)
• Center for Peaceful and Sustainable Futures (CEPEAS). The IDEC Institute

The meeting aims to congregate representatives from universities and research organisations in the Asia and Pacific region on the one hand, but also from companies and enterprises on the other, working on matters related to sustainable development in a higher education context. It also aims at providing a platform for the exchange of information, paving the way for technology transfer and networking.

Furthermore, the Symposium intends to provide a fertile basis upon which organisations in the Asia and Pacific region may cooperate more closely in this key area.

The event will be of special interest to researchers, students, project managers, representatives of NGOs and enterprises working on sustainability in higher education,  in the Asia and Pacific region. In particular, small and medium-sized  colleges, which are not often present in international events, will have in the Symposium a good opportunitiy to present their work, and for deep interactions with like-minded experts from both regions.

The Symposium will offer experts from the in the Asia and Pacific region an opportunity to meet and discuss the wide range of approaches and methods which are currently being used -or which will be deployed in the future- in order to further the cause of sustainability in higher education.

The experiences from the presenters will be documented and promoted in the book " Sustainable Development in Higher Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: sustainability as a driver of prosperity and peace“, to be published by Springer Nature. This is part of the World Sustainability Series,  the leading peer-reviewed book series on matters related to sustainable development. The peer-reviewed nature of the book means that contributions to them have been officially counting over the years for promotion and tenure purposes.
 

The event will be structured around 5 main theme clusters:

• Theme Cluster 1:   Campus greening and operations
• Theme Cluster 2: Sustainability and the Curriculum: teaching on, about and for sustainable development
• Theme Cluster 3:  Sustainability research
• Theme Cluster 4: Community engagement, cooperation
• Theme Cluster 5: The nexus between peace and sustainability

The organisers are happy to consider other topics. Please contact the organising committee if you wish to discuss an additional theme.

The Symposium will be held  in Hiroshima, Japan, on 4-5 March 2024. Hiroshima is one of Japan´s major hubs, and has its own airport. The event is hosted by Hiroshima University. The details on the exact venue and travel information will be shared with registered delegates.

Expressions of interest to attend the event, initially consisting of a 200 words abstract outlining the paper and with the full contact details of the author(s) should be 
sent to the organising team at:  FTZ-Events (at) hamburg (dot) de and to Joao.Eustachio (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de

The submission deadline for abstracts has been extended, allowing authors to submit their abstracts until October 30, 2023. Full papers must be submitted by December 15, 2023. Further instructions will be provided to the chosen authors. 

The earlier submission of abstracts is strongly encouraged. The deadline for submissions of abstracts should not be regarded as the date the abstracts are due. Rather, it is the last possible day. 

Therefore, authors who submit their abstracts at  a later stage should be mindful of the fact that presentation slots may be taken, and only poster presentations may be possible. Please submit your abstract as soon as you can, to avoid possible problems.

In other to offset some of the costs with the organisation of the event, a registration fee of Euro 250 (plus taxes) will be charged per delegate. The fee also includes the coffee breaks and lunches during the days of the Symposium. The details on how to register will be sent to those authors whose abstracts have been accepted.