The recent 46th ASEAN Summit and related Summits hosted by Malaysia provided a pivotal backdrop for the solidification of regional and cross regional synergy and future driven strategic engagements in creating a new frontier of resilience against renewed uncertainties and global challenges.

This volatility transcends different geopolitical dynamics, and hence the role of higher education, academic and research impact, and solutions to these challenges, and the creation of a capable and resilient pool of a new generation of human capital, have never been more profound and critical.

As ASEAN continues to seek deeper integration, the current strength of demographic trends and economic growth present unique opportunities and a greater calling for regional universities to consolidate their roles to ensure the success of the ASEAN visions of regional collective pooling of talents and resources.

In this context, Universiti Malaya (UM), as Malaysia’s premier institution, is well positioned to spearhead regional excellence and foster cooperation in developing human capital, bringing with it the historical and global context and richness of the blend of humanistic, artistic and academic vigour and resilience that are pivotal in facing renewed risks affecting humanity and the region.

Malaysia’s Chairmanship under the visionary insights and leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been stellar in injecting a new wave of dynamism, expansionary role, and future driven policies and visions for ASEAN.

As in the words of the Prime Minister during the Summit, “Quiet engagement has mattered. The steps may be small and the bridge may be fragile, but as they say, in matters of peace, even a fragile bridge is better than a widening gulf.”

From bringing in GCC and in expanding the role and influence of the grouping to a bigger global arena of resonance and power in key global issues, to creating a long term strategic baseline with the Kuala Lumpur Declaration 2045, Malaysia has always envisioned its regional obligations as one that is enduring and progressive.

This ripple effect transcends any one particular sector alone, and higher education, along with immense economic derivation from the new demographic advantage, remain the key facets of the new segment of growth for ASEAN.

Synergising Key Strength Indicators

ASEAN’s demographic and economic landscape presents a combined new key strength for consolidated economic, investment and trade capacities.

The median age across ASEAN hovers around 30 years, reflecting a predominantly young population.

Roughly 30–35% of ASEAN’s population falls within the 15–35 age bracket, creating a significant pool of socio-economic, higher education and research potential and strength for the region if galvanised.

Between 2014 and 2023, the bloc’s GDP grew at an average annual rate of 4.0%, showcasing resilience amidst global headwinds, and the role of a forward-looking higher education policy is essential in capitalising on this upward trajectory, by producing a new generation of high skilled human capital that will aid the economic transition of the region, and reducing foreign dependency on talents and expertise.

A well developed higher education system across the region that addresses the systemic geographical, inclusivity and access gaps that exist at intra regional and intra country level, will help to create a more sustainable and inclusive region in the quest to escape the middle income trap and to aid in the progress of the economic transition, in line with this year’s thematic focus on strengthening internal consolidation and pooling of strength.

In producing capable and future driven graduates and researchers with holistic expertise and skills based on regional values and dynamism, this will spearhead new progressive transition for the economic reform and transformation, injecting pervasive social mobility, addressing socio-economic imbalances and systemic poverty, and correcting the endemic economic trap of relatively lower per capita GDP in ASEAN, and low skilled and low technology driven economic tools.

As more concrete steps must be taken to ensure continuous rise in PPP for ASEAN collectively, estimated at around USD 19,028, a reform in developing a new generation of skilled and knowledge driven regional pool of young generations, will contribute towards a rising purchasing power and expanding middle-class structure.

All ASEAN members should project for long term quality progress in higher education participation, a measure where Malaysia under the leadership of Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Diraja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has successfully implemented with needed strategic long term foresights in best utilising and nurturing both hard infrastructure and structural readiness, and in producing human capital equipped with the necessary skill-sets and values-driven mentality.

This new model of a globalised higher education yet grounded in one’s own regional and cultural setting and context, produces a vibrant and all-rounded capacity building drive in reaping the benefits of a new pool of demographic advantage for both individual ASEAN members and for the region as a whole.

While regional higher education integration and partnership has been relatively positive, it will need new avenues of creative dynamism, and one area that needs more concerted efforts will be to address the gross tertiary enrollment rate across ASEAN, which averaged 40.16 percent, signalling the wide gap that exists across the region.

Creating New Strategic Openings for Emerging Sectors

In the emerging sectors of digital economy, energy transition, and the progress towards creating a sustainable community based on socio-economic justice and the embrace of high technology and a stable and resilient trade, market and supply chain ecosystem, the efforts of official governmental policies are not sufficient.

The role of educators, researchers, experts, industry players and the civil society remains critical in transforming the projection of the region.

ASEAN’s digital economy is projected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030, driven by e-commerce, fintech, and start up ecosystems. Universities in the region must smartly and strategically capitalise on this with sustained efforts in improving and creating new innovation hubs and incubators to connect students with entrepreneurial mentorship, and developing joint research centres focused on artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and cybersecurity to meet industry demand.

In the realm of energy transition, ASEAN’s energy demand is projected to triple by 2050, where to achieve the target of 23 percent renewables by 2025, the region requires an estimated USD 27 billion annually in investments.

This effort will also require multidisciplinary research programs on energy related ecosystems including on storage, grid integration, and sustainable materials, and a strategic collaboration with industry through public-private partnerships to pilot renewable energy projects.

Existing regional higher education partnership including the ASEAN University Network (AUN) promotes quality assurance, credit transfer, and joint degree programs among member institutions, where UM has been a key active partner, but this should not stop here.

Just as the broader quest to elevate the role and influence of ASEAN through the expansion in all key indicators and not being confined to geographical and ideological barriers alone, the higher education partnership in the region should progress in parallel with this new dynamism.

By deepening key partnerships through cross border and cross continent collaborations, including the likes of ASEAN-EU or ASEAN-Latin America partnerships, the region can showcase its ingrained expertise, resources and advantages in key sectors and complementing the strength of different regions. Collaborative and matching grants encourage multi-institutional proposals where infrastructures and talents can be shared and exchanged, further promoting cross regional synergy in an institutionalised framework for a more resilient impact.

Collaborative ventures, including curriculum development, especially in the fields of AI and emerging technologies, ensure that graduates across ASEAN can compete at the highest level, bolstering ASEAN’s research and academic footprint on the global stage.

ASEAN member states need to redouble efforts to boost funding for research, which will create positive ripple effects in the general development of the region. Currently, member states allocated on average 1.5 percent of GDP to R&D, compared to 2.8 percent in OECD countries.

ASEAN’s share of global research publications rose from 5 percent in 2010 to about 10 percent in 2024, driven by increased collaboration but regional citations per article remain below global averages.

By tapping into the approximately 234 million ASEAN citizens aged 15–35, the region stands to benefit from a demographic dividend, and this can only be well synergised by quality education that aligns with future market and industry goals.

Sectors such as e-commerce, digital finance, and clean energy are projected to create over 10 million new jobs by 2030, and this creates a new opening for universities in the region to collaborate further.

The bloc’s collective population of nearly 700 million, youthful median age, and rising GDP underscore the vast opening ahead, and Universiti Malaya is poised to lead regional efforts in charting a new frontier of hope through these vast ventures and opportunities, providing new solutions and strength to the region and its people, and the wider global humanity as a whole.

As universities across the region pool resources—both intellectual and infrastructural -- the end result is not only confined to the region alone, it shapes the future of the new generations and with it, the future of the world.

-- BERNAMA

Professor Dato’ Seri Ir Dr Noor Azuan Abu Osman is the Vice Chancellor, Universiti Malaya & Fellow, Academy of Science Malaysia