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CUHK Receives HK$30 million Donation from Li Ka Shing Foundation to Enhance Research Space and Facilities at CU Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU Medicine) receives a generous donation of HK$30 million from Mr. Li Ka-shing to upgrade the research facilities in the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences (LiHS). The Institute will start the expansion project as soon as possible, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.
Professor Rocky S. Tuan, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Li Ka-shing and LKSF for their long-standing support to the University, “Mr. Li and his Foundation have over the years made tremendous contributions to and promoted innovation in medical advances and educational development, benefiting numerous people in need in the local community and all over the world. The generous donation to LiHS will give strong impetus to the development of clinical and health sciences research in CUHK, Hong Kong, and the region. It also affirms the accomplishments of CUHK’s faculty and research staff.”
Since the official opening of the LiHS in 2007 with the support of the LSKF, the Institute has developed into a flagship translational biomedical research centre in the region. Discoveries and inventions made by the Institute have made global impacts, including non-invasive prenatal testing and early cancer detection. Our scientists at LiHS have received prestigious international awards and honours, such as the naming by Nature Biotechnology in the “Top 20 Translational Researchers” list in the last four consecutive years, the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2021) and the inaugural Future Science Prize (2017).
In order to cope with the rapid development of medical research and education, we need to recruit more top-notched research scientists. In addition to new equipment, animal facilities are needed to support cutting-edge research.
Professor Dennis Lo, Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences at CUHK, said, “We are very grateful to Mr. Li and the Foundation for the unstinting support throughout the years. With this donation of HK$30 million, we can immediately undertake the space reorganisation and research equipment acquisition, as well as the expansion and upgrade of the animal facilities. This will help us to further our advances and enhance our competitiveness in research.”
The enhancement project of the Institute includes optimizing the research space to provide 14 additional laboratory benches and 84 bench spaces. At the same time, the new animal facilities not only will triple the murine capacity, but also use individually ventilated cages which would greatly enhance the ability to control cross-animal transmission of infectious agents.
Professor Francis Chan, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at CUHK expressed his gratitude, “Mr. Li and the Foundation have been supporting the Faculty for many years, including a donation of HK$35 million last year to build the world’s foremost multi-omics platform specializing in cutting-edge metabolomics and proteomics. With Mr Li’s support, we will be able to recruit more world-class talents to perform cutting edge research to improve human health.”
To augment the resources generated from this donation, CUHK will apply for the Research Matching Grant Scheme operated by the Hong Kong SAR Government. Mr Li Ka-shing, Chairman of the Li Ka Shing Foundation remarked, “I have long believed that Hong Kong can play an important role in Asia’s fast evolving life sciences economy and build a catalytic force to our city’s future. But to succeed, it requires Hong Kong’s strongest undertaking to improve R&D environment and investment in our medical and relating fields.
“Our foundation is committed to this cause and is delighted that our new gift to the Institute of Health Sciences at the CUHK Faculty of Medicine will be augmented through University’s matching and its application for government matching grants. Under its founding Director Professor Dennis Lo, the institute’s cutting-edge interdisciplinary research has significantly advanced technological innovations in life sciences, disease prevention and novel treatments. Their achievements made Hong Kong proud and we are certain that Professor Lo and his investigators will continue their outstanding work with the same spirit and zeal to establish Hong Kong as Asia’s foremost innovation hub in biosciences.”
With the generous support of Mr Li Ka-shing, the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences was established in 2007 at Prince of Wales Hospital.
Under the leadership of its founding Director Professor Dennis Lo (1st from right), Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences has developed into a flagship translational biomedical research centre in the region.
(1st from left) Professor Dennis Lo, Director of the Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences shows the technology for cancer detection from blood plasma to Mr Li Ka- shing, Chairman of the Li Ka Shing Foundation (1st from right) and Professor Fok Tai Fai, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK (2nd from right).
