TNAG-2078-FCO40-2958-Hong-Kong-culture-1990 — Page 101

2.

1. CONTEXT OF MISSION

The British government wishes to demonstrate its commitment to the continuance and strengthening of long-term relations with Hong Kong during the establishment of the Single Market in Europe in 1992, the establishment of Hong Kong as a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China in 1997, and beyond. As part of this strategy the government has made available to the British Council substantial extra funds and resources.

A major plank of British Council policy in Hong Kong to achieve this aim will be to develop and strengthen relations between the higher education sectors in Britain and Hong Kong, and the associated industrial and commercial sectors. The British Council asked the Committee for International Cooperation in Higher Education (CICHE) to send a high profile mission to Hong Kong to take stock of the current position and to advise on a policy of enhanced cooperation, and to devise a strategy for implementing it. The purpose of the Mission is to generate new ideas and activity for UK relations with Hong Kong, and not just to propose more of the same. Although extra funds are available, the driving force is the need to show a whole-hearted commitment to Hong Kong higher education and its interface with industry and commerce.

The team comprised:

Sir Raymond Rickett, Director, Middlesex Polytechnic and Chairman of CICHE

Professor D.E.N. Davies, Vice Chancellor, Loughborough University

Professor Ray Cowell, Director, Nottingham Polytechnic

Sir Edward Parkes, Vice Chancellor, Leeds University

Tom Cowin, Higher Education Department, British Council

TERMS OF REFERENCE

2.1

To review the current links between Britain and Hong Kong in higher education, and examine the areas in which such links should be expanded and new ones established.

This will focus particularly on the areas of:

(a)

collaborative research

(b) staff development

(c)

(d)

curriculum design and development

research and development linked with industry and technology transfer

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