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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Shenzhen Municipal Government today (6 February), expressing the intent to enhance collaboration in education by establishing a CUHK campus in Shenzhen. A campus in Shenzhen will capitalize on the strengths of the two sides to nurture talent for the economic development of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The MOU was signed by Ms. Yan Xiaopei, Vice Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, and Prof. Lawrence J. Lau, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK. Also in attendance at the signing ceremony were Mr. Wang Rong, Acting Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government; Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the University Council; and Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor Designate of CUHK. After the signing of the MOU, the two parties will discuss the details of the cooperation and study its feasibility. A cooperation agreement may be signed in due course when the necessary conditions are in place.

Mr. Wang Rong, Acting Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, said, ‘The signing of the MOU to explore the establishment of a CUHK campus in Shenzhen turns a new leaf in the collaboration between Shenzhen and CUHK. It will have significant impact not only on CUHK’s expanded role in education in Shenzhen but also in the enhanced development of higher education and the training of innovative talent in the region.’

CUHK Council Chairman Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng thanked the Shenzhen Government. He said, ‘With the full support of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, the CUHK campus in Shenzhen will definitely help to upgrade the human capital on the mainland and foster technological innovation. It will not only support the economic development of Hong Kong and consolidate its status as an international city, but also enable CUHK to make contributions to the development of mainland China.’

According to the MOU, both sides express the intent to establish a CUHK campus in Shenzhen. CUHK will find a suitable partner according to the relevant regulations of the country. The CUHK campus in Shenzhen will be run jointly by CUHK and that partner, and the quality of its education will be on a par with that offered on CUHK’s Shatin campus. The Shenzhen Municipal Government will render support in terms of land grant and infrastructural constructions. Programmes will be offered addressing the needs of economic development in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The MOU is not binding. Details of cooperation will be discussed in future negotiations.

Funds for the set-up and operation of the Shenzhen campus will be separately raised. Finances will be independent of the Shatin campus, with no cross-subsidy. The quality of the staff and the curricula in Shenzhen must be on a par with that in Shatin. The increased educational opportunities will benefit students from the mainland, Hong Kong and overseas. Students will have more internship and employment opportunities on the mainland. A Shenzhen campus will also help to tap wider educational and research resources, with long-term benefits to CUHK’s development.

The University Council had earlier appointed a Task Force on the Development in Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region. The task force, chaired by Sir C. K. Chow, set out to assess the University’s existing development in the region, formulate a long-term strategy for the University’s involvement in the PRD Region, specifically in terms of scholarship, education, R & D, training and technology transfer, and study the feasibility of establishing a campus in Shenzhen offering degree programmes. The task force’s preliminary assessment, completed last month, confirmed that CUHK will stand to benefit from having a Shenzhen campus. The task force will conduct a more detailed feasibility study to further explore the University’s plan to offer educational programmes in Shenzhen.

CUHK has been deepening its educational and research involvements in Shenzhen. Since 2004, it has offered in Shenzhen an MBA programme jointly with Tsinghua University. In 2006, it joined the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Shenzhen Municipal Government in establishing the CAS–CUHK Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Integration Technology. In March 2009, it entered into a further memorandum of cooperation with the Shenzhen Government and also established the CUHK–BGI Genome Centre with the Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen. In the same month, the foundation stone was laid for the CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute in Nanshan District, Shenzhen. The Institute, which will occupy 25,000 sq. m. over 10 storeys, is expected to be completed by the end of 2010. CUHK’s next natural target of development in the region would be the possibility of operating a second campus with a suitable partner.