A strategic approach will be adopted to develop an interlocking but differentiated system where the whole higher education sector will be viewed as one regional and international force.

This was the message from University Grants Committee chairman Alice Lam when unveiling a document titled HK Higher Education: To Make a Difference, To Move with the Times today.

Mrs Lam said the sector should play a key role in building Hong Kong as Asia's world city, driving forward the economic and social development of society and making us the region's education hub.

"Each institution should fulfil a unique role based on its strengths. The committee values a role-driven yet deeply collaborative system of higher education where each institution has its own role and purpose, while at the same time being committed to extensive collaboration with other institutions," she said.

The committee promulgated in 2002 the Higher Education Review which set out broad recommendations at the strategic level pointing the way ahead for higher education. Based on the review, the committee has now set out in the document how to achieve several of the aims.

Mrs Lam said: "Hong Kong needs a higher education sector with institutions operating in distinctive but collaborative and complementary roles. I cannot emphasise enough that each institution should have its unique role and purpose, based on its strengths that will add value to the overall sector to become 'the education hub in the region'.

"We believe this nurturing of the whole system will ultimately be more productive for Hong Kong."

In view of the level of international competition as well as the financial constraints that the higher education sector has to operate within, the committee said it is important for all institutions to undertake deep collaboration with local and international counterparts to achieve excellence and efficiency in deploying resources.

"Appropriate tools, mechanisms and incentives are being put in place by the committee to steer institutions towards clear role differentiation, to facilitate deep collaboration among institutions in advancement of their respective roles, and to allow excellence to emerge through fair and constructive competition," Mrs Lam said.

Details of the document are available on the committee's website.

Institutional integration report out in March

Working with each and every institution, the committee has recently completed a review of the role statements of the eight institutions under its purview, which reflects the policy to develop an interlocking yet differentiated higher education system.

The committee is also exploring institutional integration and the full report of the committee's Working Party on Institutional Integration will be issued in March.