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CUHK Partners with ASTRI to Establish Joint Research Laboratory on Next Generation 5G Mobile Network, FinTech and Intelligent Manufacturing
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Friday 28 October 2016 to set up the CUHK-ASTRI Joint Research Laboratory.
The signing ceremony for the Joint Research Laboratory was held at the Yasumoto International Academic Park, CUHK. Dr. Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI and Professor Fanny Cheung (SBS, OBE, JP), Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) of CUHK signed the MoU, witnessed by Mr. Ming-yam Wong (BBS, JP), Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASTRI and Professor Benjamin Wah, Provost and Wei Lun Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at CUHK.
Through this Joint Research Laboratory, CUHK and ASTRI will collaborate in research and development (R&D) projects related to the next generation 5G mobile network, FinTech and intelligent manufacturing. Coinciding with the MOU signing ceremony, ASTRI announced that they will build a next generation 5G mobile network testing platform at the CUHK campus.
Professor Fanny Cheung emphasised that this collaboration was an indication that CUHK hopes to pave a new way to develop science and innovation in Hong Kong. She said, “This collaboration with ASTRI is a clear demonstration of the University’s intention to transfer its research ideas into products and services that will benefit the society. By building a joint platform with ASTRI, we are certain that more upstream researches can embark on the road to commercialisation and help businesses and industries in Hong Kong to revitalise and innovate.”
Mr. Ming-yam Wong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASTRI, said, “Smart City technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be made possible only with the 5G networks, which will have a much larger capacity and provide speeds that are 100 times faster than the current 4G networks. ASTRI is the first to launch the test bed of 5G in Hong Kong, which is a ground-breaking R&D endeavor to pave the way for a wider application of the 5G network. It is our great honour to collaborate with CUHK in testing 5G in the pre-5G stage. In addition to the R&D efforts, the collaboration will also facilitate CUHK and ASTRI in technology transfers and talent development.”
This MOU is a long term strategic collaboration and many synergies will be created between CUHK and ASTRI. CUHK being a research-intensive university, has engaged in cutting-edge upstream research on high-tech development such as the 5G mobile network, network coding, big data, FinTech, robotics and intelligent manufacturing with potential for commercialisation. On the other hand, ASTRI specialises in downstream applied research and has extensive experience working with industries. Collaboration between them will create a seamless value chain to support innovation in Hong Kong.
Another area in which the two institutions have synergy is the development of the talent pool of CUHK students. CUHK’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in science, engineering and business produce some of the finest students in Hong Kong if not in the world. With the practical training gained from ASTRI, CUHK’s students can be a source of innovative business as well as the R&D leaders of tomorrow.
About ASTRI
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. ASTRI’s core R&D competences in various areas are organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Communications Technologies, Electronics Components, IC Design (Analog), IC Design (Digital), Opto-electronics, Security and Data Sciences, and Intelligent Software and Systems. Five areas of applications including financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, next generation network, health technologies, and smart city are identified for major pursuit. For further information about ASTRI, please visit www.astri.org
About The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Founded in 1963, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a leading comprehensive research university with a global reputation. Located in the heart of Asia, CUHK has a vision and a mission to combine tradition with modernity, and to bring together China and the West. The University is a federation of nine colleges. College programmes and activities complement the formal curricula by delivering whole-person education and pastoral care. The University has eight faculties: Arts, Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Science, and Social Science. Together with the Graduate School, the University offers over 300 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. All faculties are actively engaged in research in a wide range of disciplines, with an array of research institutes and research centres specialising in interdisciplinary research of the highest quality. To learn more about CUHK, please visit www.cuhk.edu.hk
Dr. Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI (2nd left), Prof. Fanny Cheung, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK (2nd right), sign a Memorandum of Understanding to set up the CUHK-ASTRI Joint Research Laboratory, in the witnesses of Mr. Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of ASTRI (1st left), and Prof. Benjamin Wah, Provost of CUHK.
