Chapter 2 Nature and Position of AUA Universities in the Global Context
AUA consists of many of Asia's best universities. Some are among their nation's first modern universities. Ten members trace their history from the second half of the 19th to the early 20th century, and five were launched by the late 1950s. AUA members share a deep belief that talent can transform the lives and improve the state of theworld through the pursuit and application of knowledge and wisdom. They share a strong commitment to nurture global leaders as well as to enhance creativity and professionalism and to contribute nationally and globally.
AUA forms a distinctive knowledge powerhouse in Asia. According to THE Asian University Rankings, 13 AUA universities rank in Asia Top 300 in 2017, 12 in world's top 1000 in 2018, and six have maintained a consistent presence among the world's top 100 since 2010. AUA universities exhibit a distinctive breadth of academic excellence. According to QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2016, 11 universities are in the World Top 500 in five broad subjects, 12 universities are in 52 out of 54 subjects with 289 centers of excellence in World Top 500, including five universities with 22 subjects ranked in World Top 10. According to the latest data in Essential Science Indicators (ESI), AUA universities participated in 22% of all 9,690 global research fronts across the full spectrum of 22 academic fields. In particular, AUA contributed to over 25% of the global research fronts in Chemistry and Materials Science, and 10%~20% in all other 20 academic fields.
International research collaboration is increasingly aligned with world academic excellence. The scale and quality of co-authored publications make a substantial contribution to a university's global presence. All AUA members have a proportion of international co-authored publications, ranging from about 30% to 80% of their total publications over the past five years. Academic collaborations in the Asia-Pacific region have generated over half of AUA's internationally co-authored publications, while North America and Europe together share the other half. Publications generated from international collaborations and university-industry collaborations of AUA members consistently exhibit higher impact than those with only national or institutional co-authorship or single authorship.
AUA is founded upon the close connectivity among its members as well as with its global connectivity. AUA enjoys linkages with many of the world's major universities. This connectivity is empowered by rich bilateral partnerships developed by individual AUA members, and also by the participation of AUA member in 20 regional and international university associations. Such global linkages provide a solid foundation for the future direction of AUA.