The world is shifting at a tremendous speed, highlighting a myriad of important issues and challenges urgently needing attention, from global issues, including climate change, technology development, political situations, to regional issues, such as industrial transformation, population migration, and aging communities. The residual effect of the COVID-19 pandemic in life quality, education, and economy around the globe also call for new discussions for the future. Though higher education institutes mostly work and research independently, it is undeniable that the institute is still physically located within a region. Similarly, pedagogy and research does not stand alone from the social and cultural context in which the institute is physically situated. Higher education institutes, with the responsibilities of talent cultivation and city development, thus need to reimagine how to incorporate academic knowledge and research into enhancing societal equity and sustainability.

　　When faced with the drastic change of environment and industrial needs, how should individuals, organizations, and communities react and imagine the future? How can the research potentials of higher education institutes transform into the momentum of the reimagination, innovation and creation of local traditional knowledge and goods? One of the main focuses of this conference is therefore to inspire more discussion on reimagining education for cultivating students' imagination and future prospect and transforming them into practice.

　　Through the Engage!2021 conference, we hope to spark more discussion between regional revitalization, looking at the environment around us, and creativity, looking into the future before us. While listening to the stories and histories from our proximal surroundings, we learn from local wisdom and imagine new directions and pathways for the future of education, talent cultivation, and the community.

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Ying-Yao Cheng,

President, National Sun Yat-sen University

President, GACC

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　　世界正以超乎想像的速度轉變，從全球環境變遷、科技發展、政治局勢，到地區產業轉型、人口遷徙、高齡長照等，皆是需要關注的議題。COVID-19的出現，不僅造成的全球生活、教育、經濟等各種面向的影響，亦促使了人們不斷思考未來可能的各種樣貌。大學作為教育機構與城市智庫，除了具備人才培育和知識實踐的重要責任，在促進永續發展的目標下，如何結合學術知識提供有效建議、解決問題促進社會福祉，亦是責無旁貸的責任。

　　面對時空樣貌的劇變與工作型態的轉換，個人、組織、社會又該如何因應，並對未來抱持想像? 大學研究能量又該如何轉化成為推動在地想像、創新、創造，並藉由人才培育的觀點，培養學生創意思考與想像未來的能力，成為實踐的推動力，並有利於適應未來生活，即是本次研討會的關注焦點。

　　本次研討會期待藉由創造力的理論、相關研究與在地深耕的經驗分享與討論，共同交織出知識系統的轉譯與重構，將常民知識、智慧與在地故事進行彙整耙梳、紀錄與連結，傾聽在地故事並由創造力的觀點與地方進行連結實作，讓參與者建立未來潛在夥伴關係，以問題解決和創新思維想像並探討未來待解決問題的方向。

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鄭英耀

國立中山大學校長

​全球華人創造力學會理事長