HKU SPACE is delighted to announce that it was awarded the ASIIN institutional accreditation seal as a follow up to its International Quality Review (IQR) which assessed the School against the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) in October 2021. The German Agency, the Accreditation Agency for Study Programmes in Engineering, Informatics, Natural Sciences and Mathematics (ASIIN) confirms that HKU SPACE fulfils the institutional, procedural and cultural requirements for good teaching and successful learning. The experts commend that “HKU SPACE's institutional leadership is particularly strong, and the institution is procedurally rigorous.”

The ASIIN review was carried out on 5 July 2022 in the form of a virtual audit of the international experts. The accreditation was based on the Criteria for the ASIIN System Seal / Institutional Accreditation / Institutional Assessment. This set of criteria is designed for quality development in teaching and learning (in line with the European Standards and Guidelines 2015). The criteria refer to (I) the definition of quality and its management, (II) their application in the educational provisions the Higher Education Institution (HEI) is offering, (III) the management of its resources and (IV) quality related transparency and documentation.

The report was positive and showed that HKU SPACE scored highly over the entire range of the four sets of criteria. The strongest categories across the board were quality management systems/governance, the process for the creation and development of study programmes as well as rules and regulations and transparency and documentation.

Key findings are as follows:

• The experts see multiple evidence of an effective leadership and a management culture that is proactive and geared to the further development of the institution. They are particularly impressed by the manifold, well-functioning quality management systems in place, which are constantly and consistently monitoring the success of HKU SPACE´s operations on most levels
• The experts commend HKU SPACE on its comprehensive planning processes, which are geared to the further improvement of its study programmes.
• The experts find a strong centralised management in relation to rules and regulations pertaining to programmes. The website and detailed programme prospectus contain all relevant information for its diverse educational offerings.
• The experts identify a strong emphasis on documentation at HKU SPACE. Meetings and decisions are regularly well-documented. External legal requirements relevant for documentation and transparency are continuously taken into consideration in the respective processes.

Professor William K.M. Lee, Director of HKU SPACE, said, “I am very happy to receive this formal recognition from ASIIN which demonstrates that our quality assurance systems receive global recognition. This positive report shows our dedication and commitment to professional and continuing education and lifelong learning, and that our governance structure and quality assurance systems are sound.”

Finally the Panel concluded that HKU SPACE has a strong base to build on and promising potential to further develop as a World Class Centre of Excellence in Continuing Education, Lifelong Learning and Transnational Education. It has made a number of recommendations to assist the School in this endeavour which will be followed up in the coming months.