Earlier this month, thought leaders and educators from across the globe convened in Hong Kong for the highly anticipated INDEX Symposium 2025. Co-hosted by The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Business School and Singapore Management University (SMU), the four-day event from 4 to 7 March explored how industry partnerships, interdisciplinary learning, and global collaboration can better equip students for the evolving workforce.
Drawing participants from Canada, China, Hong Kong, Iraq, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, and Thailand, the Symposium underscored a shared global commitment to reimagining business education for an increasingly complex world. Themed ‘Future-Ready Global Business Education: Enhancing Experiential Learning Through Industry and Interdisciplinary Collaboration, the event built on the success of its inaugural edition held in Singapore in 2023.
Pioneering Experiential Learning on a Global Stage
Launched by SMU's SMU-X team in 2023, the INDEX Symposium was created as a platform to foster collaboration between academia and industry. With its second edition, SMU-X joined forces with CUHK Business School to expand this global dialogue, reaffirming its commitment to advancing experiential education through interdisciplinary partnerships.
In his opening address, SMU Provost, Professor Timothy Clark, emphasised the collective responsibility of innovative learning models. “At SMU, we have witnessed how hands-on, project-based learning bridges the gap between academia and the real world. But the responsibility to innovate learning models does not rest with any single institution; it is a collective endeavour, and that is why INDEX exists,” he said.
His view was echoed by the leadership at CUHK Business School. Professor Zhou Lin, Dean of CUHK Business School, said, “It is important to transform educational approaches to keep pace with the rapidly changing world and provide opportunities for students to excel. The INDEX Symposium is a platform for sharing our experiences and learning from each other, aiming to make experiential learning more widespread and successful.” Furthermore, Dr Fred Ku, Associate Dean of CUHK Business School, commented, “This gathering underscored the immense value of cross-institutional collaboration, where diverse perspectives and shared expertise converge to innovate and enrich our educational approaches.”
SMU-X: Transforming education through real-world engagement
SMU-X has been at the forefront of industry project-based experiential learning, transforming traditional classroom education into real-world, interdisciplinary problem-solving. Over the past decade, SMU-X has impacted more than 22,000 students and partnered with over 1,200 industry collaborators, setting a global benchmark for industry-linked education.
During the Symposium, representatives from the SMU-X Office and the Centre for Global Education & Opportunities shared valuable insights into scaling experiential learning across disciplines. Key topics included: the transformative journey of SMU-X over the past decade, showcasing its milestones and impact on students and industry partners; innovative approaches to enhance student engagement and creativity, as well as extending experiential learning to adult learners through lifelong learning programmes; and the integration of hands-on, interdisciplinary learning across diverse fields and international programmes, fostering cross-cultural competencies and real-world problem-solving.
Overcoming Challenges and Charting the Future
Discussions also addressed challenges such as balancing faculty research with industry collaborations, aligning stakeholder expectations, and building sustainable global partnerships. Solutions included creating flexible engagement models and leveraging technology to enhance scalability.
The symposium also tackled critical challenges in advancing experiential learning, such as balancing faculty research with industry collaboration and managing stakeholder expectations. Speakers also emphasised the importance of expanding experiential learning to adult learners, and building sustainable global partnerships so that cross-border learning can be enhanced.
Leading the Way in Asian Business Education
As Asia continues to drive global economic growth, the demand for future-ready talent is at an all-time high. The INDEX Symposium 2025 reaffirmed the transformative role of experiential learning in preparing the next generation of business leaders. As a founding institution, SMU remains dedicated to collaborating with like-minded universities to expand the reach and impact of INDEX Symposium, ensuring continued leadership in experiential education across disciplines and borders.
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