Overseas university leaders have expressed strong interest in establishing a presence in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis university towns, but called for clearer guidance and frameworks on the roles that international partners can play.

They also said the mega project’s academic-industrial development pattern will strengthen Hong Kong’s competitive edge and global influence in higher education.

They made their remarks during a group interview on the sidelines of the 2026 World Class University Presidents Forum, held at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on Wednesday and Thursday.

In his Policy Address, delivered in September, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu outlined plans to develop the three university towns in the Northern Metropolis — in San Tin, Hung Shui Kiu, and Ta Kwu Ling — under a “town area” concept. Each town will include specific areas for a campus, technology development, industrial uses, and a living community.

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The authorities have also encouraged renowned Chinese mainland and overseas universities to establish a presence in the university towns.

Duncan Ivison, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester in England, said the university is “really interested” in the Northern Metropolis.

The project’s approach to establishing relationships among universities, industry and other partners from the outset was attractive, but universities are still learning about the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s expectations for overseas partners before making concrete moves, he said.

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Stuart Croft, president and vice-chancellor of England’s University of Warwick, said that it would be better for overseas institutions to work with local partners for a presence rather than to act independently.

Mosa Moshabela, vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, South Africa, emphasized the importance of international talent being drawn into the Northern Metropolis, and called on the Hong Kong SAR government to define what success looks like and what contribution international partners are expected to make. He said that the mechanisms need to be “transparent and explicit from the beginning”.

On Hong Kong’s position as a higher education hub, Croft said the next decade will be defined not just by partnerships but by “embedding activities”, such as the Northern Metropolis’ academic-industrial cooperation.

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“The Northern Metropolis is a fantastic opportunity for Hong Kong universities to build that embedding process possibly earlier and more deeply than elsewhere in the world,” Croft said. “The opportunity that the Northern Metropolis gives to Hong Kong universities is to create even greater global prominence for higher education.”

Regarding connecting education with real innovation and industry, Stephen McArthur, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, said that success will depend less on infrastructure and more on strong university-industry partnerships with a shared vision and clear focus.

Moshabela added that combining university science with industry’s capacity to scale up can create a complete value chain, bringing universities closer to the economy.

In a statement, HKUST President Nancy Ip Yuk-yu said she exchanged ideas with university heads from different regions during the forum, and those exchanges reflected strong international confidence in Hong Kong.

Overseas and mainland university leaders are particularly interested in how the city connects universities, research and industry and creates international collaboration opportunities in the Northern Metropolis, Ip added.

She confirmed that HKUST representatives attended the government’s briefing on the Hung Shui Kiu university town site, for which applications will close at the end of this year, and that the university is actively studying the arrangements.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com