CUHK
News Centre

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) welcomes the measures proposed in the Policy Address to promote scientific research, strengthen the development of innovative technology and nurture professionals in science and technology, which would be able to enhance and propel Hong Kong’s development into an international innovation and technology hub. We are delighted to see the doubling of three dedicated fundings; the annual funding for the Technology Transfer Office of each university, the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities, and State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong. CUHK believes that the measures can facilitate the transfers of research ideas into products and services. Furthermore, CUHK believes that the provisions for injecting $20 billion into the Research Endowment Fund (REF) of the RGC under the UGC, reserving $190 million recurrent expenditure per annum to support the introduction of new regular Fellowship Schemes, and launching a new Research Matching Grant Scheme to give institutions’ access to plentiful funding could help strengthen the tertiary institutions’ research capability and allow them to carry out more quality scientific researches that will benefit society, as well as attract and retain research and development talents.

As a research-based comprehensive university, CUHK has always been committed to opening up new areas of scientific research, and strengthening its interdisciplinary research. CUHK launched the “Five-Year Strategic Plan” in 2016 to formulate four major research areas which are China studies, translational biomedicine, information and automation technology, and environment and sustainability, with the aim of benefitting Hong Kong and mankind globally from innovative scientific research results. Prof. Chan Wai-yee was appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Developments) earlier this year to capitalise on the development of innovation and technology initiatives and research opportunities recently announced by the central and Hong Kong governments, and to foster relationships with strategic partners at local, regional and international levels, including the Lok Ma Chau Loop, the Greater Bay Area and the Belt and Road countries. Furthermore, InnoHub at the CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute was established this May. Combining Shenzhen’s industrial advantages, InnoHub offers a new innovation platform and startup incubators to CUHK researchers and alumni.

CUHK has been shown to produce an excellent performance in Smart City related research. The Institute of Future Cities, a leading multi-disciplinary research Institute gathering talents from various fields, was established in 2013 to help Hong Kong become a smart city with environmental protection, economic prosperity, social justice and sustainable development. CUHK also established various inter-disciplinary research institutes such as the Institute of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (iTERM) and the T Stone Robotics Institute.

CUHK is recognised as the most innovative university in Hong Kong and is ranked 22nd in the Asia-Pacific region by the latest ‘Reuters: Asia Pacific’s Most Innovative Universities’ listing. The University currently has more than 900 granted patents in different jurisdictions worldwide. Some of these patents have been licensed to relevant industries that help bring these innovations to the market to benefit society. In academic year 2017-18, CUHK has received 185 granted patents and filed 327 patent applications for inventions developed in the areas of medical technology, biotechnology, information technology, telecommunications, and materials science.