Profile of Prof CAI, Yuzhuo 蔡瑜琢 - The Education University of Hong Kong


Professor	Department of Education Policy and Leadership

Contact

ORCiD

0000-0002-7934-3828

Phone

(852) 2948 7814

cyuzhuo@eduhk.hk

Address

10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong

Website

https://pappl.eduhk.hk/rich/web/person.xhtml?pid=309365&name=CAI, Yuzhuo

Scopus ID

36442274600

SDGs

4 - Quality Education
7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10 - Reduced Inequality
13 - Climate Action
16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Research Interests

Higher Education Policy and Management
Universities' Societal Engagement
Internationalisation of Higher Education
Graduate Employability
Comparative Education
Triple Helix Model of Innovation
Innovation Ecosystem

Teaching Interests

Organisational Theory in Higher Education Research and Practice

University and Society Relations

Finnish Education

Research Method

Research Interests

Teaching Interests

Organisational Theory in Higher Education Research and Practice

University and Society Relations

Finnish Education

Research Method

Research Outputs


Scholarly Books, Monographs and Chapters Roose, A., Tillart, T., & Cai, Y. (2026). Repositioning regional university college amidst the green transition: The case of Pärnu County, Estonia. In Y. Cai & A. Trunova (Eds.), Higher Education and Regional Green Transitions (pp. 19–38). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003660996-6 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Debananda Misra, Rómulo Pinheiro, Yuzhuo Cai (2026). Higher education and green transitions: What, how and for whom?. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035348046.00006 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Rómulo Pinheiro, Debananda Misra, Yuzhuo Cai (2026). Higher education and green transitions: Capabilities for a sustainable world. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035348046 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 6 - Clean Water and Sanitation, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production Yuzhuo Cai, Debananda Misra, Rómulo Pinheiro (2026). Universities as catalysts for green transitions: Insights and pathways forward. Rómulo PINHEIRO, Debananda MISRA, Yuzhuo CAI, Higher education and green transitions: Capabilities for a sustainable world (268-287). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035348046.00017 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Po YANG, Yuzhuo CAI, Fengqiao YAN, Jussi KIVISTÖ (2026). From theories to many possible practices. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035339686.00017 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Yuzhuo CAI (2026). Institutional logics analysis of universities' societal engagement amid paradigm shifts in higher education. David CHARLES, Lisa NIETH, Lars COENEN, Ridvan CINAR, Universities, knowledge and places (87-109). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003571681-7 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Yuzhuo CAI, Po YANG, Fengqiao YAN, Jussi KIVISTÖ (2026). Navigating the dynamics of higher education through organisational and management theories. Yuzhuo CAI, Po YANG, Fengqiao YAN, Jussi KIVISTÖ, Organisational and management theories in higher education: Understanding the changing landscape (1-9). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035339686.00009 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y., Yang, P., Yan, F., & Kivistö, J. (2026). Organisational and Management Theories in Higher Education: Understanding the Changing Landscape. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035339686 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Yuzhuo Cai (2026). Institutional logics analysis of management and leadership in higher education. Yuzhuo CAI, Po YANG, Fengqiao YAN, Jussi KIVISTÖ, Organisational and management theories in higher education: Understanding the changing landscape (131-165). Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035339686.00016
Journal Publications Cai, Y. (2026). Navigating Risks in University Research: Integrating Triple-helix and Institutional Logics Perspectives. European Review, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1062798726100684 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Ho, C. S. M., Cai, Y., & Lee, C.-K. J. (2026). Mapping interdisciplinarity in education: a scoping review and conceptual framework for theory and practice. Education Innovations: Systems and Future Learning, 1(1), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1108/eisfl-11-2025-0063 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Yuzhuo CAI, Bruce Macfarlane (2026). Beyond CUDOS and DECAY: Mapping research norms with an institutional logics wheel. European Journal of Education, 61, Article e70591. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.70591 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Mountford, N., & Cai, Y. (2026). Institutional logic relationships and sustainable change in healthcare: a systematic review of the literature. Public Management Review, 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2025.2609173 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Ho, C. S. M., Cai, Y., & Lee, J. C.-K. (2026). Role models in policy learning: establishing universities of applied sciences in Hong Kong. Studies in Higher Education, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2026.2617127 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y., Pinheiro, R., Cristofoletti, E. C., & Yang, P. (2025). Entrepreneurialism Meets Sustainability: Exploring Tensions in the Transition to Sustainable Entrepreneurial Universities. Minerva. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11024-025-09597-9 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Feng, X., Lee , J.C.-K., Sin, K.-F., Cai, Y., Saha, M., Hu, X., & Li, H. (2025). Mapping the Literature on Student Well-Being: A Comparative Scoping Review of Finland and Hong Kong SAR. ECNU Review of Education, Online First, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311251365258 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y., Pinna, C., & van der Wende, M.C. (2025). Rethinking EU-China Higher Education Cooperation in a Dynamic Global Environment. Journal of Studies in International Education, 29(2), 167 -176. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153251316930 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Yuzhuo Cai (2024). Demystifying Higher Education: Explaining competing views in higher education studies from multiple perspectives of institutional theory. Beijing International Review of Education, 6 (3-4, 208–224. https://doi.org/10.1163/25902539-06030003 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Yuzhuo Cai, Gaoming Zheng (2024). Navigating Shifts in Europe-China Higher Education Cooperation: An Institutional Logics Perspective. ournal of Studies in International Education, online first, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1177/102831532412962 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Yuzhuo Cai, Betty Leask (2024). Rethinking internationalization of higher education for society from an outside-in perspective. Journal of Asian Public Policy. https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2024.2406093 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals 蔡瑜琢 (2024)。高等教育管理與領導：制度邏輯理論的視角。《北京大學教育評論》，2024(03)，頁 49-75。 https://ccj.pku.edu.cn/journal/info?jid=93664&volumeNo=&issueNo=03&viid=15426648 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
Conference Papers Cai, Y. (2025, 14 December). 芬兰教师教育的历史演进、当代发展及大湾区的启示 [Historical evolution and contemporary development of Finnish teacher education and implications for the Greater Bay Area]. 粤港澳大湾区教师教育融合发展学术论坛. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y. (2025, 21 December). 欧洲大学转型及对中国新型研究型大学的启示 [Transformation of European universities and implications for China’s new research universities]. 第六届世界一流研究型大学建设研讨会. SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 5 - Gender Equality, 10 - Reduced Inequality, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y. (2025, 15–16 November). From entrepreneurial to sustainable: Reimagining world-class universities for the global common good. SFEE-4 & WCU-10 Event, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China. SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 5 - Gender Equality, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y. (2025, 28 November). 中芬联合学位项目的质量保障 [Quality assurance of Sino-Finnish joint degree programmes]. 中外合作辦學研討會, 华南师范大学, Guangzhou, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y. (2025, 10 October). Expert commentary on “香港北部都会区高校科技创新与产业创新深度融合研究” [Invited expert commentary]. 中国高等教育学会“服务教育强国建设研究”重点课题“香港北部都会区高校科技创新与产业创新深度融合研究”开题会议, Peking University School of Education, Beijing, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Cai, Y. (2025, 12 October). Hong Kong as a mediator for EU–China higher education cooperation: Opportunities and challenges. Reconceptualising the Links Between China and the World Through Education in the New Geopolitics, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y. (2025, 28–31 October). Rethinking the Triple Helix: Is three enough? The 23rd Triple Helix Conference, Monterrey, Mexico. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Cai, Y. (2025, 24 October). 通过就业创业力提升就业资本 [Employability entrepreneurship for leveraging employability capitals]. 第四届高等学校就业创业国际论坛, Jiaxing, China. SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025, 22 June). 大学科研风险应对：整合三螺旋和制度逻辑视角 [Responding to university research risks: Integrating Triple Helix and institutional logics perspectives]. 宁波大学地方高水平大学发展研究院成立大会暨高等教育强国建设背景下地方高水平大学发展理论与实践学术论坛, Ningbo, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Cai, Y. (2025, 15 September). Entrepreneurial universities meet SDGs: Exploring tensions in the transition to sustainable entrepreneurial universities.Keynote speech/presentation, Triple Helix Association and Chinese Association for Science of Science and S&T Policy Innovation Summit, Beijing, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities Zheng, G., & Cai, Y. (2026, 13 June). Paradoxes in the EU's Strategies for Higher Education Cooperation with China. HERA Conference 2026, Peking University, Beijing, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y., Engeström, Y., Lee, J. C.-K., & Lin, T. (2026, 13 June). Rethinking graduate-to-work transitions: Activity systems, contradictions and expansive learning. HERA Conference 2026, Peking University, Beijing, China. SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2026, 3–4 April). The New Geopolitics of EU-China Higher Education Cooperation: Paradoxes and Pathways Forward. Higher Education in a Changing Era: Navigating Pathways to the Global Common Good, Xiamen, China. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Sahlberg, P., Cai, Y., & Lee, J. C.-K. (2026, 31 March). Adaptive Policy Integration in Education Reform: How global policy ideas become workable in national contexts. CIES Conference 2026, San Francisco, United States. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y. (2026, 6 March). Chinese Universities in Transition: From Borrowing Western Models to Building New-Type Research Universities. 8th ChinaHE Conference: Bridges and Boundaries: China's Global Higher Education Partnerships, Hong Kong. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y. (2026, 6 March). Futures of Chinese Higher Education in the Multipolar World [Keynote panel discussion]. 8th ChinaHE Conference: Bridges and Boundaries: China's Global Higher Education Partnerships, Hong Kong. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y. (2026, 24 February). Navigating Geopolitics: Hong Kong as a Mediator for EU-China Academic Cooperation. APAIE 2026, Hong Kong. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y., & Zou, T. (2026, 25 February). Journal of Studies in International Education (JSIE) [Editorial presentation]. APAIE 2026, Hong Kong. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y. (2026, 18 January). 走向专业化：欧盟（教育）博士学位的比较与探析 [Towards Professionalisation: A Comparative Exploration of EU (Education) Doctoral Degrees]. 第二届粤港澳大湾区教育创新论坛暨北京大学教育博士国际发展研讨会, Hong Kong. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education Cai, Y. (2025, September). Emerging Paradoxes in EU-China Higher Education Cooperation. The 37th CHER Annual Conference, Poznan, Poland. https://www.cher-highered.org/cher-conferences/upcoming-cher-conferences/cher-37th-annual-conference/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025, September). Hong Kong as a Mediator for EU3China Higher Education Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges. The 37th CHER Annual Conference, Poznan, Poland. https://www.cher-highered.org/cher-conferences/upcoming-cher-conferences/cher-37th-annual-conference/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai. Y. (2025, August). Fostering Sustainable Entrepreneurial Universities: The Societal Engagement Dimension. [Keynote speech] International Postgraduate Roundtable and Research Forum cum Summer School (IPRRFSS), Hong Kong. https://iprrfss.com/ Cai, Y., Sahlberg, P., & Lee, J.C.K. (2025, July). Bridging Global Models and National Tradition: Finnish Lessons for Chinese Education Reform. The 2nd Chinese Society of Education Annual Conference, Hong Kong. https://cse2025.org SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025, June). Hong Kong's Role in Mediating Higher Education Cooperation between Europe and China. The 1st Annual CHELPS Conference - Leadership in Global Higher Education, Hong Kong. https://aapsef.eduhk.hk/news-and-events/events/the-1st-annual-chelps-conference SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y., Lee, J.C.K., & Ho, C.S.M. (2025, June). Identifying Role Models for Universities of Applied Sciences in Hong Kong. [Paper presentation] HERA 2025 Conference - The Future of Higher Education: Facing New and Old Challenges, Hong Kong. https://hera2025.hku.hk/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Qiu, R., & Cai, Y. (2025, June). Global Scholar Prespectives on the Development of the FInnish Education System: A Literature Review. The 2nd GRIFE International Conference, Hong Kong. https://www.eduhk.hk/grifeconf2025/index.php SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Xiong, W., Oleksiyenko, A., & Cai, Y. (2025, June). A comparative study of integrating SDGs into university policies and practices in Hong Kong and Finland. The 11th Higher Education Research Association (HERA) Conference, Hong Kong. SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education 蔡瑜琢 (2025，6). 大學科研風險應對：整合三螺旋和制度邏輯視角。[主題演講] 寧波大學地方高水平大學發展研究院成立大會暨高等教育強國建設背景下地方高水平大學發展理論與實踐學術論壇，寧波，中國。 https://www.eol.cn/news/dongtai/202506/t20250623_2676438.shtml SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025, May). Navigating Risks in University Integrating Triple Helix and Institutional Logics Perspectives. Institutional Perspectives on Universities: The Role of Leadership, Administration, Stakeholders and Risks - Academia Europaea and Wenner-Gren Foundations HERCulES Symposium, Stockholm, Sweden. https://www.ae-info.org/ae/Acad_Main/Activities/HERCulES/Events/Institutional%20Perspectives%20on%20Universities SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth 蔡瑜琢 (2025，5). 從三螺旋模型視角看中國高職院校面臨的挑戰與機遇。[主題演講]「創新·融合」粵港澳大灣區職業教育高品質發展研討會，深圳，中國。 https://mmc.edu.mo/blog/college_zh_hk/college_business_zh_hk/news_college_business_zh_hk/9990/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025, April). Can Hong Kong Sustain Its Role as a Mediator for EU-China Higher Education Cooperation? Opportunities, Challenges, and Policy Directions. The Conference for Higher Education Research – Hong Kong, Hong Kong. https://library.hsu.edu.hk/cher2025/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth 蔡瑜琢 (2024，12). 芬蘭教育的成功之道及其借鑑意義。[主題演講] 第十六屆深圳學術年會子項目——人工智慧教育與學習科學高端學術研討會，深圳，中國。 https://efuture.sustech.edu.cn/meeting/index/acid/860.html?lang=zh-cn&nvid=90 Cai, Y. (2024, November). Navigating Uncertainty: The Future of EU-China Higher Education Cooperation and the Role of Hong Kong. [Keynote speech] The 15th Asian Studies Day, Tampere, Finland. https://asianet.fi/2024/09/24/asian-studies-days-2024-preparing-for-a-multipolar-global-era-the-importance-of-research-and-education-on-asia/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2024, October). Evolving Paradigms of Internationalisation in hHigher Education and Their Implications for EU-China Higher Education Cooperation. [Keynote speech] Tongji Internationalisation of Higher Education Forum, Shanghai, China. https://www.tongji.edu.cn/eng/info/1003/4161.htm SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
All Other Outputs Marginson, S., Cai, Y., Lee, S., Oldac, Y., Wright, E., & Oleksiyenko, A. (2026, May 13). Common good and status competition in global science and higher education. Centre for Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies. https://chelps.eduhk.hk/page/detail/1129 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals de Wit, Hans, Cai, Yuzhuo, Liu, Yabing, Oldac, Yusuf, Oleksiyenko, Anatoly, Qiu, Ruoyi, Tang, Hayes, & Wang, Jiaxin. (2026, February 12). Beyond “everything that quacks”: A forum on internationalisation orientations, global diversity, and social responsibility. Centre for Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies. https://chelps.eduhk.hk/page/detail/939 SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals Cai, Y. (2025). Rethinking Youth Education-to-Work Transitions: From Fixing Graduates to Building the Ecosystem. NEXT-UP. https://www.nextup-project.eu/rethinking-youth-education-to-work-transitions-from-fixing-graduates-to-building-the-ecosystem/ SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025). For Europe, Hong Kong Holds a Key to China Research Networks. World University News.. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=2025042208465856 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Cai, Y. (2025). Funding Cuts: A Test for Hong Kong’s Academic Community. World University News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250303122457120 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Ho, C.S.M., & Cai, Y. (2025). Applied Sciences Universities are Set to Diversify HE Dector. University World News. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250318141504447 SDGs infomation: 3 - Good Health and Well-Being, 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth van der Wende, M., Cai, Y., Qiao, C.-r., Gill, P., Pinna, C., Shen, W., & Tian, L. (2025). Changing Perspectives Towards Conditions for Sustainable EU-China Academic Collaboration: A CKN Report. The Netherlands https://www.chinakennisnetwerk.nl/publications/changing-perspectives-towards-conditions-sustainable- SDGs infomation: 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth Yuzhuo Cai, Wenqin Shen (2024). New law offers more scope for international joint degrees. https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20241001140701870

Projects


Rethinking University - Society Relations: Novel Typology, Theoretical Foundations and Contextual Variations Universities are increasingly expected to contribute directly to societal development through innovation, workforce preparation, civic engagement, and social transformation. While various models—such as the entrepreneurial, civic, and sustainable university—have emerged to conceptualise these roles (Audretsch, 2014; Goddard et al., 2016; Sørensen et al., 2019), the literature remains fragmented and heavily shaped by Western contexts, with limited guidance for global institutional strategies (Altbach, 2016; Cai & Ahmad, 2023). This project addresses these gaps through a three-fold approach. First, it proposes a unifying framework based on three metaphors—mirror, servant, and shaper—to categorise university–society interactions. Second, it applies this framework to key domains such as graduate employability (Tomlinson, 2017), university–industry collaboration (Perkmann et al., 2013), and social entrepreneurship (Cinar, 2019), drawing on relevant theoretical lenses. Third, it compares Western and non-Western perspectives to explore the contextual variation in engagement logics (Grau et al., 2017; Pinheiro et al., 2015). By advancing conceptual clarity and global applicability, the project contributes to both academic theorisation and practical policymaking in higher education. Project Start Year: 2025, Principal Investigator(s): CAI, Yuzhuo SDGs Information: 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Rethinking University - Society Relations: Novel Typology, Theoretical Foundations and Contextual Variations
Universities are increasingly expected to contribute directly to societal development through innovation, workforce preparation, civic engagement, and social transformation. While various models—such as the entrepreneurial, civic, and sustainable university—have emerged to conceptualise these roles (Audretsch, 2014; Goddard et al., 2016; Sørensen et al., 2019), the literature remains fragmented and heavily shaped by Western contexts, with limited guidance for global institutional strategies (Altbach, 2016; Cai & Ahmad, 2023). This project addresses these gaps through a three-fold approach. First, it proposes a unifying framework based on three metaphors—mirror, servant, and shaper—to categorise university–society interactions. Second, it applies this framework to key domains such as graduate employability (Tomlinson, 2017), university–industry collaboration (Perkmann et al., 2013), and social entrepreneurship (Cinar, 2019), drawing on relevant theoretical lenses. Third, it compares Western and non-Western perspectives to explore the contextual variation in engagement logics (Grau et al., 2017; Pinheiro et al., 2015). By advancing conceptual clarity and global applicability, the project contributes to both academic theorisation and practical policymaking in higher education.
Project Start Year: 2025, Principal Investigator(s): CAI, Yuzhuo
SDGs Information: 4 - Quality Education, 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth, 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, 17 - Partnerships for the Goals