Press Release - May 13, 2005

The University of British Columbia (UBC), has just established its Asia Pacific Regional Office in Hong Kong. This is the first such office for a Canadian university and is mandated to serve the entire region.

The President of the UBC, Dr Martha Piper, said the University has a longstanding commitment to Asia-related study and research. �The regional office will help UBC build and enhance existing, academic, government, and private sector partnerships throughout Asia while serving its students and alumni,� she said. �There are tens of thousands of UBC alumni contributing to communities throughout Asia. In Hong Kong alone, there are more than 3,000 UBC graduates."

Centrally located in Wheelock House in Central, the office will be responsible for marketing, programme development and alumni relationships in Asia-Pacific.

The Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Canada, Mr Bassanio So, said that UBC�s Hong Kong office would serve as a bridge between the academic circles in Asia and Canada. He said, �As Canada's leading university, UBC�s permanent presence in Hong Kong can foster new, dynamic academic, government, and private sector relationships.�

UBC has a long history of research projects in China, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam, among others.

The Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Simon Galpin, warmly welcomed UBC's decision of using Hong Kong as their base in the region. He said, �We at Invest Hong Kong are delighted to see a world-class university like UBC committing to working closely with partners in the region through Hong Kong. As Hong Kong evolves into a knowledge-based society, the demand for higher education, research and collaboration between institutions and both public and private sectors has intensified. These activities involving top universities have brought significant value to Hong Kong and have become major forces behind on-going development of our society. �

UBC has consistently ranked among the top 50 universities in the world. It draws students from more than 120 countries.


For more information, please contact: Stephen Siu, Assistant Director (Public Relations) of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at: (416)924-5544 or email: [email protected] or Elison Chu, Senior Information Officer, [email protected]

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