2026 HKSA Public Lecture
HongKong’s Higher Education Hub Development under Global Talent Mobility
The Hong Kong Sociological Association (HKSA) hosted a public lecture on Saturday, 19 September 2026, from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at The Create, 15/F, M+, West Kowloon Cultural District. The event was co-organised by the School of Interdisciplinary Studies of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). Titled “Building Hong Kong as a Higher Education Hub amid Global Talent Mobility: Policy Comparison and University Governance,” the lecture was delivered by Professor Joshua Mok Ka Ho, President of HSUHK, and moderated by Professor Jin Jiang, Associate Professor of Sociology at HKBU.
Professor Mok is an internationally renowned higher education scholar with extensive academic and management experience in the field. In his lecture, he compared the strategies of governments and universities in attracting and retaining talent, with a particular focus on high-calibre talents pursuing doctoral studies in Hong Kong and how such talents can be nurtured to contribute to Hong Kong’s development.
The lecture provided acomparative analysis across multiple dimensions—immigration policy, funding support, research environment, family policies and living costs—in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. From a comparative research perspective, Professor Mok offered an in-depth examination of Hong Kong’s unique advantages, challenges and shortcomings in building an international higher education hub and put forward valuable recommendations at both the policy and university governance levels.
The event was held against the backdrop of intensifying global competition, as Hong Kong actively promotes itself as an international higher education hub in Asia. The newly announced Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan has also elevated talent and higher education development to a medium- and long-term strategic level, making the lecture’s topic especially timely.
Following the presentation, Professor Mok engaged in in-depth interaction with the audience, which included students, scholars and staff from non-governmental organisations. The discussion highlighted the importance of evidence-based policy and effective university governance in strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a regional education and talent hub.
