Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) has been accepted into the prestigious Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), uniting over 60 leading research universities across the Asia-Pacific region and the Americas. This significant milestone, formalised on 13 March 2026, strengthens UBD’s global academic and research engagement.
UBD’s admission reflects the university’s growing research excellence across disciplines including environmental and health sciences, energy and digital technologies. APRU membership provides access to collaborative research projects and initiatives, student/staff mobility programmes and policy forums.
The timing perfectly aligns with UBD’s transformative GenBESTARI curriculum, emphasising active learning, technology integration and sustainability. Participation in APRU’s collaborative programmes and initiatives is expected to complement these efforts, offering faculty and students meaningful regional opportunities.
As Brunei Darussalam’s premier university, UBD’s membership in APRU reflects the nation’s engagement with regional academic cooperation. UBD brings the distinctive perspective on a resource-rich biodiversity nation, energy transition, Islamic studies and sustainable development to enrich APRU’s Asia Pacific dialogue.
APRU Chair, Professor Dr Dawn Freshwater, also the University of Auckland Vice-Chancellor, welcomed UBD alongside Vietnam’s VinUniversity and the National Autonomous University of Mexico, noting UBD contributes unique expertise rooted in sustainability and cultural diversity. Together, the new members expand APRU’s reach into two new economies and strengthen the collective capacity to tackle the Asia Pacific’s most pressing issues, as Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam universities join APRU for the first time. The addition reflects APRU’s commitment to build a network that is not only diverse, but also dynamic in its leadership and vision.
Highlighting the membership’s significance, UBD Vice-Chancellor, Dr Hazri Haji Kifle said “This new venture with APRU opens doors to elite opportunities for UBD researchers to achieve greater international impact, while advancing UBD’s internalisation strategy and commitment to addressing Asia-Pacific priorities, aligning with Wawasan Brunei 2035”.
Established in 1997, APRU serves as a platform for research collaboration, policy dialogue and academic exchange among the top universities in the Pacific Rim including Tsinghua University, National University of Singapore, University of California, Los Angeles and Osaka University. It represents over 200,000 academics serving two million students across 18 Pacific Rim economies, focusing on sustainability, global health, technology and innovation and higher education governance.