The hybrid Final Regional Leadership Forum under the Horizon Southeast Asia Project
On 17-19 September 2025, SEAMEO RIHED, together with Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, successfully held the hybrid Final Regional Leadership Forum under the Horizon Southeast Asia Project at Vientiane, Lao PDR. The Forum brought together 22 university leaders, researchers and experts from the GMS and Timor-Leste to reflect on the four-year journey of advancing sustainable research ecosystems.
The Forum was honoured by the presence and welcoming address of Associate Professor Dr. Lavanh Vongkhamsane, Director General, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Sports, Lao PDR, and SEAMEO RIHED Board Member, who emphasised the importance of strengthening research collaboration and beyond among universities in the Greater Mekong Subregion.
Highlights included panel discussions, interactive workshops, showcases of research outputs and university leaders’ action plans, as well as policy dialogues that strengthened regional collaboration. Over the three-day programme, participants also exchanged insights on advancing sustainable research ecosystems and shared collaborative outputs in the areas of climate change, river governance, and sustainable agriculture.
Centre Director of SEAMEO RIHED, Choltis Dhirathiti, PhD, remarked during the panel discussion on Day 3:
“The greatest achievement is not only the research outputs, but the human connections and networks that will continue to benefit universities and societies beyond the project.”
Marking the end of the project, the Forum concluded with showcases of achievements from the past four years, alongside a collective commitment to advance research governance and continue building networks that drive positive change for higher education and society.
We thank all participants and partners for their invaluable contributions to this milestone event!
