USM PENANG, 21 December 2025 – Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently hosted the 21st Asia-Pacific University–Community Engagement Network (APUCEN) Summit at AC Hotel, Penang. 

Held on 16 December 2025 under the theme “COMPASSION: Empowering Communities, Driving Sustainability,” the summit reflects APUCEN’s long-standing commitment to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships between universities and communities.

Grounded in mutuality, respect, and shared knowledge creation, APUCEN continues to champion community engagement that goes beyond outreach—positioning universities as active co-creators of solutions to social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges.

The programme showcased how diverse strengths across APUCEN member institutions ranging from disciplinary expertise to deep community relationships can be aligned to scale local initiatives into impactful regional models.

The meeting further reinforced APUCEN’s vision as a collective movement, advancing a shared regional agenda that promotes social equity, resilience, and sustainable nation-building across borders.

APUCEN Executive Director, Professor Dato’ Dr. Aileen Tan Shau Hwai highlighted compassion as a strategic principle underpinning meaningful university–community engagement—grounded in empathy, informed by evidence, and sustained through collaboration, in her opening remarks.

“Universities today serve not only as centres of teaching and research, but also as anchors of community resilience and catalysts for innovation”, she added.

Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) highlighted the need for a unified, evidence-based framework to strengthen the measurement and sustainability of community engagement across borders during a keynote address at the APUCEN programme.

Delivering the keynote, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Industry and Community Relations, Professor Ir. Dr. B.T. Hang Tuah Baharudin, emphasised that community engagement is essential for translating knowledge into societal impact, positioning communities as co-creators of solutions while strengthening resilience, trust, and inclusivity

Director of Community Network, Associate Professor Dr. Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir Ishak, in his keynote emphasised the need to assess how community programmes truly empower, transform, and sustain communities.

The COMPASSION Framework positions empathy as the core value guiding project design, execution, and evaluation, while aligning initiatives with the SDGs, MyRA, and USM’s APEX agenda.

“In 2025 alone, USM community engagement initiatives reached 10,321 beneficiaries across 81 localities, involving 315 academics, 14 strategic partners, and 43 community projects, demonstrating growing scale and reach,” he added.

The programme continued with paper presentations from universities across Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, highlighting diverse models of engaged scholarship, volunteerism, social entrepreneurship, disability empowerment, and sustainability initiatives.

A key highlight of the summit is the 21st APUCEN Regional Council Meeting, where council members will deliberate strategic directions to further strengthen cross-border collaboration, knowledge mobilisation, and policy-relevant community engagement across the Asia-Pacific.

The meeting further reinforced APUCEN’s vision as a collective movement, advancing a shared regional agenda that promotes social equity, resilience, and sustainable nation-building across borders.

Text: Sharifah Darweena Syed Ahmad Amir Feisal, Community Network Office, Division of Industry & Community Network (BJIM) USM