THE Awards Asia 2023: winners announced

An Indian university has taken the top accolade in another year of record submissions to Times Higher Education’s awards for Asian institutions.

India’s Vishwakarma University (VU) took the prize for Leadership and Management Team of the Year in the 2023 THE Awards Asia, announced in a ceremony on 21 June in Hong Kong.

VU becomes the second Indian institution to take the prize since 2021, following in the footsteps of the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).

The judges praised the 2023 winner’s “deep levels of commitment” to its surrounding community.

They noted a couple of standout VU initiatives, including its industry-backed Water Centre of Excellence, which has developed a sewage treatment plant, creating usable water for poor communities. The university also established a legal aid clinic, which provides pro bono legal consulting for vulnerable members of society and aims to help nearly 5,000 villagers in the next two years.

“In India, private universities often take on public-good functions that in other countries are performed in the public sector,” said the judges. “VU is a university with a real awareness of its own place within the community, excelling in its contribution to participatory development in the region, where the challenges are immense.”

Elsewhere in Asia, too, universities impressed judges with standout entries.

This year, THE received nearly 700 entries overall, more than 200 over the previous record, despite no longer including 14 previously eligible countries and territories in the Middle East, which are now part of the new THE Awards MENA. Sixteen countries or territories were represented among the submissions to the Asia awards, and 80 institutions made it to the shortlist.

Hong Kong was the biggest winner, with three institutions taking home prizes.

The University of Hong Kong’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine received the Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year award, while the Hong Kong Polytechnic University won the International Strategy of the Year category.

Hong Kong-based institutions were followed by Indian universities, with two wins and one highly commended entry. Thailand and Turkey were among the best represented countries, with one win and one highly commended entry each. Japan, Malaysia and South Korea had one win each.

Now in its fifth year, the THE Awards Asia builds on the success of THE’s long-running UK-focused awards, known as the “Oscars of higher education”. This year, there were 10 categories in all, including two new ones for 2023 – Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership and Outstanding Contribution to Regional Development.

Phil Baty, THE’s chief global affairs officer, praised the submissions this year, many of which he said have been “both outstanding and inspirational”, with universities rising to new challenges as the shadow of Covid continues to recede.

“We at THE are incredibly proud to be able to showcase and promote not only the amazing work you can find in these profiles of our 2023 winners, but also that of the shortlisted institutions that just missed out this time around,” said Mr Baty.

Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2023 winners

Leadership and Management Team of the Year
Vishwakarma University

Workplace of the Year
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)

International Strategy of the Year
Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Teaching and Learning Strategy of the Year
University of Hong Kong, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine
Highly commended: Ahmedabad University

Outstanding Contribution to Regional Development
Taylor’s University

Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Leadership
Abdullah Gül University

Excellence and Innovation in the Arts
Naresuan University

Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year
Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Outstanding Support for Students
Tokyo University of Science
Highly commended: Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University

Student Recruitment Campaign of the Year
Lingnan University
Highly commended: Izmir Institute of Technology

Read more about the winners in the winners’ booklet.