The Digital Learning Hub (DLH) at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation (APU), Kuala Lumpur, is playing an active role in shaping the future of higher education recognition and mobility across Southeast Asia through its participation in a major regional policy study under the EU ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package Higher Education Programme (SCOPE HE). 

Running across 2025 and 2026, the initiative focuses on improving the fairness, transparency and efficiency of recognising academic qualifications across national borders. By strengthening recognition mechanisms, the study aims to enhance student mobility, graduate employability and cross-border institutional collaboration across the ASEAN region. 

Funded by the European Union (EU) under its Global Gateway Initiative, the programme is implemented with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which serves as the implementing organisation and Contracting Authority for the project. 

A Regional Policy Study with Global Significance

According to Professor Dr Abtar Kaur Darshan Singh, Director of the Digital Learning Hub at APU, the project represents a significant regional policy effort designed to align higher education recognition frameworks with international standards. 

“The project is supported by European Union funding under the SCOPE HE programme, which runs for approximately 18 months across 2025 and 2026. The funding is distributed among consortium partners across the region to support research, stakeholder consultations, comparative European analysis, validation workshops and regional dissemination activities,” she explained. 

Prof Abtar, who also serves as Professor of Innovative Digital Learning and UNESCO Chair in Harnessing Innovative Technologies to Enhance Quality Teaching and Learning at APU, officially announced the university’s participation following the submission of the final amended proposal at the end of February 2026. 

Collaboration Between ASEAN and European Expertise

The project is led by the Indonesia Cyber Education Institute (ICE Institute) at Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia, under the leadership of Professor Paulina Pannen. 

To ensure strong international benchmarking, the European comparative component is supported by CIMEA, the official Italian Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence. CIMEA contributes extensive experience from European recognition networks and policy implementation, enabling the study to draw meaningful comparisons between ASEAN and European systems. 

This collaboration between ASEAN and European partners reflects a growing commitment to strengthening regional connectivity and policy alignment in higher education. 

Supporting the Implementation of Global Recognition Conventions

A central focus of the study is the ratification and implementation of two landmark international agreements: the Asia Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education, widely known as the Tokyo Convention, and the Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education. 

These conventions aim to ensure that academic qualifications are recognised fairly, transparently and in a timely manner across national borders. By establishing shared recognition principles, they seek to remove barriers to student mobility while supporting greater academic and professional opportunities for graduates. 

Prof Abtar emphasised the broader significance of the initiative for regional cooperation. 

“Digital Learning Hub at APU is proud to be part of this initiative, as it is poised to strengthen cooperation between ASEAN and the EU in higher education and supports long-term regional connectivity,” she remarked. 

APU Leading the Malaysia–Singapore–Brunei Cluster

Within the regional study framework, APU’s Digital Learning Hub has been entrusted with responsibility for the Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei cluster.

The APU team is led by Prof Abtar and co-led by Mr Fahd Ali Raza, Lecturer at the Digital Learning Hub, with the entire DLH team contributing across different components of the project. Their responsibilities include conducting country-level policy analysis, engaging with ministries, quality assurance agencies and higher education institutions, as well as contributing to the development of regional policy recommendations. 

These recommendations are intended to strengthen qualifications recognition systems within ASEAN and facilitate greater alignment with international recognition frameworks. 

“APU’s involvement reflects its expanding contribution to regional higher education governance, digital learning innovation and international academic cooperation, and will be recorded in the final project submissions,” Prof Abtar noted. 

Elevating APU’s Regional Leadership in Digital Learning

Participation in the SCOPE HE initiative marks an important milestone for the Digital Learning Hub, further strengthening its role in regional higher education dialogue and policy development. 

By contributing expertise in digital learning ecosystems, academic mobility frameworks and policy analysis, DLH is helping to support the development of a more connected and interoperable higher education landscape across Southeast Asia. 

Through its engagement in this European Union-funded initiative implemented with DAAD, APU continues to position itself as an active regional partner in advancing the future of higher education mobility, qualifications recognition and international academic collaboration across ASEAN. 

The initiative not only reinforces APU’s growing regional influence in higher education policy discourse, but also strengthens its institutional capacity to contribute meaningfully to the evolving global ecosystem of digitally enabled, internationally connected universities.