Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU) marks history for hosting the first Award ceremony – Asia-Pacific Triple E Awards – to distinguish and celebrate outstanding achievements of universities and individuals in the areas of entrepreneurship, engagement, social outreach and sustainability. Kochi, India was a gathering place for a plethora of change-makers, innovators, educators and leaders in higher education from Asia-Pacific region who used this platform to exchange ideas, discuss and collaborate. The Award Ceremony took place on the side-lines of the 4-day International Conference on Sustainable Globalization, January 9-12, 2020. The ceremony showcased some of the most innovative and inspiring initiatives and individuals who have left an indelible mark on the lives of students, colleagues, children and citizens at large. In total, there have been 12 different categories clustered in 3 meta-groups: initiatives, individuals and institutions. The winners, 1st and 2nd runner-ups have been presented with trophies, while all finalists have been awarded a 12-month affiliate membership to ACEEU resources.
Collaboration, Culture and People Underpin Engaged and Entrepreneurial Universities
The recurring leitmotif of the Award ceremony was revolving around collaboration, multi-stakeholder inclusion, entrepreneurial mindset and culture in higher education as being the cornerstone of creating more purposeful universities. Yuriko Takahashi, representative of Chiba University of Commerce (Japan), which won the Green University of the Year Award, highlights that the key ingredient to their success story of having the first university using 100% renewable energy on the entire campus is incorporation of all stakeholders into the story. “The project’s greatest merit is that it includes everybody: academic staff, management and, most importantly, students.”, said Yuriko. Prakash Koirala, a Nepalese social innovator and a Harvard graduate who won the Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award, stated that nurturing “entrepreneurial mindset within universities can bring about a positive impact for the communities and a cycle of prosperity for both students and their parents”.
With over 300 entries, and 60 finalists from 17 countries, Triple E Awards initiative is a testament to the fact that the third mission at universities is gaining momentum and universities are more comprehensively embracing this new role. “It has been great to bring together this unique community of leaders in entrepreneurship to celebrate their incredible achievements in promoting higher education’s impact on society. The finalists are true game-changers and we hope that the Awards help to spread their best practices and influence higher education far beyond their own institutions.”, said the Chair of ACEEU, Thorsten Kliewe.
Wendy Kerr, the representative of the University of Auckland, which won Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award, points out that the Triple E Awards initiative is both galvanising and inspirational. She points out that the benefits of the universities being more entrepreneurial are three-faceted. The first facet revolves around students where nourishing their “entrepreneurial mindset will help them thrive”. The second one “revolves around academics taking their ideas out of the labs and making a greater impact on the world”, while the third benefit pertains to the importance of having an innovative and entrepreneurial culture to succeed in the time of higher education disruption.
It’s just the Beginning…
The Awards are meant to extol exceptional achievements in university third mission undertakings and provide more impetus to the topic. The initiative is also intended to serve as a forum for like-minded individuals and a platform for further discussion on how to improve the performances of universities so as they can respond to the grand challenges of 21st century. It is hoped that the initiative will usher in a new era where engaged and entrepreneurial universities are no longer seen as a handful few, but constitute the backbone of higher education.
The story of Triple E Awards will be continued so as to gradually incorporate all regions of the world. Next up is Latin America Triple E Award, which would take place in Bogota, Colombia in October 2020. The submission of new entries will become available on February 10, 2020.
Asia-Pacific Winners and Runner-ups
1. Entrepreneurial University of the Year
The University of Auckland – WINNER
University of Adelaide – 1st Runner-up
University of Technology Sydney – 2nd Runner-up
2. Engaged University of the Year
Assam Don Bosco University – WINNER
Australian Catholic University – 1st Runner-up
Fuzhou Melbourne Polytechnic – 2nd Runner-up
3. Green University of the Year
Chiba University of Commerce – WINNER
La Trobe University – 1st Runner-up
Ozyegin University – 2nd Runner-up
4. Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year
Murray Hurps – WINNER
Hasmukh Lal – 1st Runner-up
Nik Maheran Binti Nik Muhammad – 2nd Runner-up
5. Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship
Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid– WINNER
Noel Lindsay – 1st Runner-up
Calum John Drummond– 2nd Runner-up
6. Entrepreneurial Educator of the Year
Prakash Koirala – WINNER
Trina Myers – 1st Runner-up
Ruari Elkington – 2nd Runner-up
7. Engagement Leader of the Year
Ehud Keinan – WINNER
Maria Parappilly – 1st Runner-up
Lesley Hughes – 2nd Runner-up
8. Innovation and Collaboration Space of the Year
OzU X Innovation Centre – WINNER
The Swinburne Fire Station – 1st Runner-up
Innovation Quarter – 2nd Runner-up
9. Innovation Challenge of the Year
TOM@University – WINNER
Emerging Engineering Education – 1st Runner-up
Deakin Genie – 2nd Runner-up
10. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support of the Year
Shark Tank eSchool Support Program – WINNER
UNSW Founders Program – 1st Runner-up
The Institute for Technology and Innovation Management – 2nd Runner-up
11. Community Engagement Initiative of the Year
MENTOR Youth Guidance Programme – WINNER
Service Learning Programme – 1st Runner-up
Girls in Cyber Security Advancing (GiCSA) project – 2nd Runner-up
12. Student-driven Sustainability Project of the Year
Social Enterprise for Economic Development (SEED) – WINNER
Fungo Mushrooms – 1st Runner-up
Miniature Microbial Fuel Cell Based Biosensor – 2nd Runner-up
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