Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU), Raipur, has signed a Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Global University Innovation and Cooperation at the Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP) – World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) Impact Summit 2026.
The summit was held at the ICONSIAM Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand, on July 9 and 10, 2026.
The MoU was signed by 20 universities from South Asia, Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates, marking a significant step towards fostering international collaboration in higher education, innovation, research and sustainable development. The agreement seeks to establish a framework for long-term institutional partnerships among participating universities.
Representing HNLU, Prof. (Dr.) VC Vivekanandan, Vice Chancellor, presented a case study on the University's Research Hub & Spoke (R-HaS) model during the Innovation Case Study session. The presentation highlighted HNLU's interdisciplinary research ecosystem, its externally funded research initiatives, and the University's commitment to generating research with measurable societal impact.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Vivekanandan stated:
"HNLU is making impactful strides in showcasing and disseminating its research initiatives through meaningful engagement with regional and global university associations. Signing this multilateral MoU is a strategic milestone in expanding our international academic partnerships. We also had productive discussions with AUAP Secretary General Prof. Dr. Anoop Swarup and Executive Secretary Dr. Supaporn Chuangchid on exploring collaborative conferences, research projects, faculty exchanges and other academic programmes in the near future."
The two-day summit brought together university leaders, policymakers, innovators and academicians from across the globe under the theme "University Innovation in Partnership with Government: Policy, Mechanism, and Impact." The conference served as an international platform for sharing innovative institutional practices and strengthening global partnerships in higher education.
Under Article 3 of the Multilateral MoU, participating institutions agreed to collaborate in areas including joint research and innovation projects, academic programme development, innovation case studies, conferences and workshops, faculty, researcher and student mobility, institutional policy innovation, entrepreneurship, startup collaboration, and innovation ecosystem development.
The Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific (AUAP) is one of the oldest regional university associations, bringing together higher education institutions across Asia and the Pacific to promote academic cooperation, leadership development, quality assurance and internationalisation. AUAP serves as a platform for universities to develop collaborative initiatives that contribute to educational excellence and sustainable regional development through global partnerships.
The World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) is a university ranking system that evaluates institutions based on their real-world contributions to innovation, social responsibility, entrepreneurship, industrial engagement and ethical leadership, rather than conventional research metrics alone.
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