Sunway University

Sunway University and Lancaster University, United Kingdom, proudly celebrate 20 years of their landmark partnership that has helped redefine cross-border higher education in the region. Established in 2006, the Sunway–Lancaster collaboration has grown into one of the largest and most successful transnational education (TNE) partnerships globally, with students currently enrolled across 45 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and underpinned by a robust and expanding research profile.

Over two decades, the partnership has evolved into a globally recognised model of academic excellence, quality assurance, and international mobility by expanding access to world-class UK education in Malaysia, strengthening graduate employability, enabling faculty collaboration, and delivering consistently strong outcomes across teaching, learning, and student experience. 

 In response to rapid national demographic shifts, evolving geopolitical realities, and accelerating technological innovation, the institutions jointly developed the Lancaster–Sunway Partnership Co-Strategy 2024–2030. This ambitious roadmap renews and deepens the alliance, setting a clear direction to enhance global impact through education, research, innovation, and sustainability. The Co-Strategy focuses on sustainable growth, including scaling student enrolment, expanding programme offerings, strengthening mobility pathways, and optimising joint operations, while maintaining academic quality and global competitiveness. It also places strong emphasis on increasing academic, social, and environmental impact, through collaborative research, innovation initiatives, and engagement with industry, communities, and policymakers. For example, the joint Future Cities Research Institute serves as a platform for interdisciplinary research addressing urban sustainability, resilience, and inclusive development.

As a mission-driven fifth-generation university, Sunway University is committed not only to educating future leaders, but also to generating positive societal and environmental outcomes. Professor Sibrandes Poppema, President and Vice-Chancellor of Sunway University, said, “Our partnership with Lancaster University demonstrates what can be achieved when two institutions are united by shared values, long-term vision, and a commitment to excellence. The 2024–2030 Co-Strategy signals our shared ambition to deepen academic collaboration, elevate global standing, and translate knowledge into solutions that benefit communities across borders.”

Professor Simon Guy, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global) of Lancaster University, added, “Over twenty years, the Lancaster–Sunway partnership has been on a fast-rising trajectory, starting with a pioneer graduating cohort of 18 and growing to more than 15,000 students graduates to date. We are proud of our growth but aspire now to co-create a values-driven model of Transnational Education that embraces sustainability, inspires entrepreneurial thinking, engages new technologies, and enables students to follow their own lifelong learning pathways across our global campus network. We call this TNE 5.0, and Lancaster–Sunway are leading the way.”

Beyond institutional success, the partnership stands as a cornerstone of UK–Malaysia higher education relations, strengthening academic ties, talent development, and research collaboration between the two nations. Over the past two decades, and alongside this partnership, Sunway University’s global rankings and international standing have continued to rise, reflecting sustained progress in academic quality, research strength, and graduate outcomes. It demonstrates how international partnerships can advance national priorities while driving global knowledge exchange. 

Throughout the anniversary year, joint activities will celebrate the partnership’s impact on students, alumni, staff, and the wider higher education ecosystem. Both universities reaffirm their commitment to building on two decades of trust, positioning the Sunway–Lancaster partnership as a global benchmark for impactful, sustainable, and future-ready transnational education.