Annual Presidents’ Meeting: Shaping the Future of Higher Education in the Pacific Rim

This infographic highlights the APRU network as a major global research contributor, showcasing its scale, impact, and areas of strength from 2020–2025. Drawing on comprehensive bibliometric data from Elsevier, it illustrates how APRU members collectively produce nearly 12% of the world’s scholarly output, outperform global averages in growth and citation impact, and lead in key fields such as education, computer science, and artificial intelligence. It also underscores the network’s strong multidisciplinary collaboration and real-world influence through policy and industry engagement, positioning APRU as a vital driver of innovation and knowledge in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

The APRU Annual Report 2026 highlights how APRU’s network continues to advance purpose‑driven, transnational collaboration to address shared regional and global challenges. Over the past year, APRU convened its community through 38 activities across the Pacific Rim, engaging more than 4,000 leaders, researchers, and students. These efforts strengthened collective action in areas including artificial intelligence, sustainability, global health, disaster resilience, biodiversity, food security, and human longevity, demonstrating the power of trust‑based collaboration across borders, systems, and cultures. A central pillar of APRU’s mission remains the empowerment of future leaders. In 2025, more than 2,000 students participated in APRU’s student leadership programs, gaining cross‑cultural experience and practical skills to lead on global citizenship, climate action, and inclusive innovation. These initiatives reflect APRU’s commitment to preparing the next generation to address complex challenges with empathy, integrity, and collaboration. The Annual Report also recognizes the essential role of APRU’s members and hosts, and extends sincere thanks to the many institutions and leaders who drive the network forward—by hosting programs, serving on advisory bodies, and enabling faculty and students to engage meaningfully in APRU activities. Together, the achievements captured in the APRU Annual Report 2026 illustrate how universities, working collectively through trusted networks, can play a critical role in shaping a more sustainable, just, and connected future.

The APRU 29th Annual Presidents’ Meeting (APM) 2025 officially concluded in June. Hosted by UC San Diego, this three-day gathering brought together 28 university presidents, 98 academic leaders, and experts from 47 institutions across 15 economies in the Pacific Rim to explore the future of longevity. This year’s APM highlighted how universities, through collaborative research and forward-thinking leadership, could drive solutions to extend healthy life expectancy, address disparities, and prepare the next generation to contribute meaningfully to these global issues. This theme highlighted: AI and Longevity: Global Challenges and International Research Collaboration University Innovation for Longevity: Biotechnology, and Public Health The Role of Higher Education and Social and Economic Policy in Facing Aging Populations Engagement of next generation of leaders and scholars to ensure sustainable, resilient, equitable solutions to aging