What is APRU

The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) is a network of leading universities from the Americas, Asia, and Australasia, bringing together thought leaders, researchers, and policymakers to exchange ideas and collaborate in finding practical solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.

Founded in 1996, this network currently comprises 60 universities. Its objective is to contribute to the development of the growing Asia-Pacific community and to advise the leaders of the APEC member economies on the advancement of research in sciences, new technologies, and the training and development of their human resources. It also promotes academic cooperation and exchange in teaching and research areas relevant to the Pacific Rim community.

The University of Chile is one of the founding members of APRU and is the first and only Chilean higher education institution to join the association. It hosted the APRU Presidents' Meeting in 2004 and 2019. In 2014, the University hosted the APRU Experts Workshop on Equity and Access in Higher Education, which members of the academic communities from various universities within the network attended to work on these topics.

Currently, the President of the University of Chile, Prof. Rosa Devés Alessandri, is a member of the APRU Steering Committee for the period 2023-2025 in the "Americas At Large" slot, representing higher education institutions from the continent.