CUHK
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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has received generous support of HK$49.7 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust (the Trust) to establish five Jockey Club (JC) STEM Labs. The University held an inauguration ceremony yesterday (18 December 2023) to express gratitude and appreciation to the Trust. The officiating guests at the ceremony were Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, Professor Alan Chan, Provost of CUHK, and Ms Ada Chu, Head of Charities (Talent & Sector Development) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

In his welcome speech, Professor Tuan expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Trust. He said, “The latest strategic plan of CUHK spells out its resolution to consolidate its research capacity and build a strong Team CUHK. The inauguration of the five JC STEM Labs represents a significant milestone in our journey towards achieving our goals. Each Lab focuses on a unique research area and is set to deliver impactful discoveries and innovative outcomes that will not only increase Hong Kong’s competitiveness in the long run, but also emerge as global breakthroughs that will bring heightened social benefits for the community at large.”

Professor Chan then introduced the five newly inaugurated JC STEM Labs and their Directors. The JC STEM Lab of Intelligent Design Automation is led by Professor Ho Tsung Yi from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and aspires to make CUHK an iconic centre for next-generation technologies and applications in electronic design automation. The JC STEM Lab of Astronomical Instrumentation is led by Professor Yan Renbin from the Department of Physics, and is dedicated to research mapping the motion and distribution of gases in the Milky Way to understand humankind’s galactic home and how stars are born. The JC STEM Lab of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine is led by Professor Stephen Dalton from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, and will specialise in the development of new drugs and novel cell therapy approaches for type-2 diabetes, to ease the pain of patients with this major health problem. The JC STEM Lab of Nature-inspired Precision Medical Engineering is led by Professor Mao Chuanbin from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and will focus on transforming nature’s tools into precision medicine to combat challenging diseases such as cancer. The JC STEM Lab of Personalised Cancer Medicine is led by Professor Andreas Moeller from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, and is set to deliver fruitful outcomes in translational cancer research.

The Trust representative Ms Chu said, “We trust that the impact of these labs will extend beyond their walls, equip local talents, foster industry collaboration, and contribute to the development of innovation and technology for society. Our commitment to this initiative underscores the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society through the Club’s unique integrated business model, with revenue returned to the community through tax payments and charitable donations.”

The Trust has allocated HK$500 million for the JC STEM Lab initiative. It is a central component of the Trust’s talent and sector development strategy and aims to support the laboratory set-up at University Grants Committee-funded universities for the awarded scholars under the Government-initiated Global STEM Professorship Scheme, so as to nurture STEM talent in Hong Kong and promote the translation of new science and technology into social impact.

Video presentation of the five JC STEM Labs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FY-RKIiTqs