The 2022 USR Expo will be held in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park on the 19th and 20th of November. "Light Up Universities for Collective Wisdom of Sustainability" is the theme of the exhibition this year. Through Exhibition booths, photography, short films, other static displays, and several dynamic activities, the event will share the fruitful results of the USR plans that the university students, as well as their teachers, have implemented during the past 5 years. This year, 91 colleges and universities, 196 USR project teams, as well as other partners will participate in this grand event. They have all actively promoted the exchange of opinions and complemented creative ideas of all parties across borders and regions, in the hope of showing the spirit and productive results of USR in local communities through diverse presentation methods.

The Ministry of Education has promoted the USR program since 2018. During this period, university teachers and students have stepped out of the campus and stepped into communities to learn to listen and empathize with the voices and needs of locals, while consolidating the relevant resources to implement solutions for local issues. Due to the pandemic, exhibitions in 2020 and 2021 were held online during the second phase of the program. However, as the pandemic has shown signs of easing this year, the exhibition will be held in physical venues combined with some online activities, to more profoundly show the responses to the challenges in the post-pandemic era. This event will also show the public that as long as we are willing to change and take action, our society will continue to achieve sustainable development.

In addition to showing the implementation results of the schools and project teams, the Expo invites partners with actual experiences in various fields to attend the exhibition. Through static displays such as photography and short film exhibitions, the public will be able to understand the collaboration and output between universities, local industries, and communities from diverse perspectives. There will also be dynamic displays, such as “scenario interactive walls”, using interesting content to present the core concepts of USR. Furthermore, photo booths will enable visitors to upload limited edition photos of the USR Expo to their personal Instagram accounts to share with more people. For example, the “Earth Dining Table” activity includes a Sustainable Development Goals display area with dining tables and an experience area for visitors to taste foods from all around Taiwan, both reflecting on the issue of food waste, and further reminding us to create sustainable industries which meet the needs of future lifestyles. We suggest to not to miss out on taking part in these activities as registrations are on-site with a limited number.

During the two-day exhibition, scholars from Japan and Israel who have had outstanding achievements promoting works regarding USR have been invited to share their international perspectives on practical experiences and development models. At the same time, there will be USR TALK for visitors to exchange thoughts and opinions, live broadcasting from the USR Studio Broadcasting Room, and other outdoor activities. In addition, Keynote Speeches, International Perspectives, Sustainable University Forums, and “Teaching Practices on New Perspectives of Service, Teaching, and Research” will all be live-streamed for those who are unable to attend the event.

The Expo features 6 different exhibition areas (Warehouse No.1, Warehouse No.2, North Tobacco Factory, South Tobacco Factory, 2F Multi-Showcase Exhibition Hall, and Cultural & Creative Boulevard). Each area will have an exclusive Expo stamp collection booth to build the connection between the different areas and encourage visitors to visit all areas. Once visitors have collected all of the stamps, they will be able to redeem them for a small gift at the service counter of each exhibition area, with limited quantities available. During the exhibition period, there will also be a popularity vote for both on-site and online visitors to participate through the QR codes in each area, enabling each visitor to recognize the aspirations and passions of the participating university teachers and students. For more details, please visit: https://2022usrexpo.org/.