GDST, HKUST(GZ) and HKUST signed the Work Plan to Jointly Support the In-depth Collaboration in Science and Technology
The Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology (GDST), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST(GZ)) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) signed a collaboration agreement, the Work Plan to Jointly Support the In-depth Collaboration in Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as the “Work Plan”), on May 21 in Hong Kong. Mr Xi WANG, Member of the Standing Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Party Committee and Vice Governor; Mr Mingzhong HUANG, Deputy Secretary-General of the Guangdong Provincial People’s Government; Mr Kongjun ZHU, Director-General of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province; and Ms Guangyan LONG, Deputy Director of Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, attended and witnessed the signing ceremony. Mr Guoping GONG, Party Secretary of GDST, Prof. Nancy Y. IP, President of HKUST, and Prof. Lionel M. NI, President of HKUST(GZ), signed the Work Plan.
At the ceremony, Mr Guoping GONG introduced the background, mechanism, and prospects of the Work Plan. To accelerate the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) International Science and Technology Innovation Center, and to leverage the unique advantages of Hong Kong universities and their cooperatively-run universities in Guangdong (hereinafter referred to as “two campuses”), the GDST would collaborate with the two campuses to jointly support deepened technological cooperation between teams from Hong Kong and Guangdong.
According to the Work Plan, the GDST will collaborate with HKUST and HKUST(GZ) to implement a “1+1+1” joint funding scheme, supporting research teams from the two campuses to conduct joint scientific research collaboration, establishing innovation platforms and constructing Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao joint laboratories in the advantageous fields of the two campuses, encouraging the two campuses to conduct organized research and jointly undertake Guangdong S&T Projects to meet the strategic demands of the GBA, and further promoting international S&T and talent cooperation between the two campuses to jointly introduce and cultivate high-level research teams and top talents.
Professor Tim Kwang Ting CHENG, Vice-President for Research and Development of HKUST, Professor Kaishun WU, Associate Vice-President (Research) of HKUST(GZ), and Dr. Dongfu LI, Head of HKUST(GZ) Research Department, attended the ceremony.
The Work Plan Implements First at HKUST and HKUST(GZ)
In October 2023, HKUST and HKUST(GZ) took the lead in launching the “HKUST-HKUST(GZ) 20 for 20 Cross-Campus Collaborative Research Scheme” (hereinafter referred to as the Scheme). The Scheme encourages the collaborated research teams of HKUST and HKUST(GZ) to carry out multi-dimensional research collaboration to promote the all-round coordinated development of education, talent, and scientific research between Hong Kong and Guangdong, which has achieved the coordinated innovative collaboration and blazed a trail of two campuses carrying out scientific research collaboration in cross-disciplinary.
According to the “A Slew of Measures to Strengthen the Cultivation and Management of Young S&T Talents” by the General Office of the CPC and the General Office of the State Council of the PRC, the Scheme mainly supports young researchers in new collaborative research. Focusing on the Four Aspects of promoting the development of S&T, the Scheme will support the research teams in jointly undertaking several research projects on frontier technology, jointly applying for several national and provincial key and major projects, jointly nurturing several postgraduate students and postdoctoral fellows, jointly organizing several workshops and symposiums, and promoting the transformation and application of scientific research outputs in the GBA.
During the period of calling for proposals, the Scheme received 100 applications from the joint research teams of two campuses in total, and the research fields such as Advanced Materials, Sustainable Energy, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Data Science, Bioscience, Integrated Circuit, Management, and Social Sciences are involved. The majority of academic departments and their professors’ teams of HKUST and HKUST(GZ) organized various of events to explore the research directions of projects, and more than 230 professors participated in the Scheme. HKUST and HKUST(GZ) appointed the Vice-Presidents for Research as the co-chairmen of the joint review committee, and the Deans of Hubs/Schools and the Heads of Thrusts/Departments as the committee’s members. The joint review committee conducted two rounds of evaluation of the applications and decided to fund a series of excellent basic research projects and applied research projects.
The “HKUST-HKUST(GZ) 20 for 20 Cross-Campus Collaborative Research Scheme” carves a new path to connect the policies of Hong Kong and Guangdong, supports the researchers of HKUST and HKUST(GZ) in jointly undertaking key scientific research tasks, and opens a new chapter in Hong Kong-Guangdong cooperation on S&T innovation.
