News & Stories

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and leading genomics organization BGI Group will establish a joint research center that will set the stage for the next-generation sequencing platform and research efforts that produce novel medical diagnosis and treatments with transformative impact. Witnessed by HKUST President Prof Tony F Chan and BGI Group President and Co-founder Prof Wang Jian, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Prof Nancy Ip, HKUST Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies and Mr Duncan Yu, BGI Group Vice President at the ceremony held on 27 July. The MoU underlines the commitment of establishing a HKUST-BGI Joint Research Center. The center aims to promote mutually beneficial cooperation in biotechnological science and engineering, and benefit mankind by solving problems in areas such as healthcare, conservation and environment.

A research team led by Prof SUN Fei, Assistant Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has created a new protein-based stimuli-responsive smart hydrogel that could open doors for future material biology and biomedical applications. Hydrogels, also known as soft matter in the medical world, are leading materials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery and stem cell therapy. But traditional hydrogels, used in products such as facial masks and contact lenses, are made up of either synthetic polymers or biological extracts such as animal collagen, are likely to cause allergies. They cannot fully mimic the complex biological environment needed for cell growth and development.

Co-hosted by HKUST’s Institute for Public Policy and Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Engineering-Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (CAE-HKAES) Forum on Integrative Development of Innovation and Technology in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta was held on 24 May. The Forum provided a platform for attendees to exchange views upon the findings of an eight-month study of the innovation and technology policy in the region.

Over 900 teams comprising students, startups and professionals participated in the seventh annual One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition organized by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in five cities this year, more than doubled over a year ago. The Competition was first extended to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macau last year. Prof Gary Chan, Director of the Entrepreneurship Center, said it is encouraging to see the Competition, originally an initiative to nurture entrepreneurs at HKUST, to have grown into a regional contest that helps cultivate entrepreneurial spirits and promote exchange of ideas across the border. “We have witnessed not only an increase in scale, but also rising quality of the submitted proposals and depth of market traction,” said Prof Chan. We are particularly excited to see a record-high industrial sponsorship to the event this year.”

If you’ve ever struggled with trying to pick up tofu with chopsticks, think how difficult it must be for the steely grip of a mechanical robot.  But thanks to some great teamwork and a lot of persistence, that’s exactly the challenge recently solved by five Mechanical Engineering students at HKUST, an achievement that has won them the 2017 President’s Cup for excellence in research and innovation. The team’s ‘Smart Soft-End Effector’ is a flexible robotic gripper that can safely handle the most delicate items, offering strong potential for commercial development.  The idea was initiated in 2015 by Alex Tse Yu, a final year engineering student, who has long been interested in soft robotics and created a prototype.

In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, a growing collection of videos was made to feature the remarkable community at HKUST – past and present. “I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to grow with HKUST. I hope all of you will have the opportunity to also grow with HKUST.” Associate Professor of Division of Social Science, Prof Naubahar Sharif said.

The use of the Scholarly Publications Database (SPD), which showcases the research output of the University, registered a 30% increase with 1.78 million page views recorded in 2016-17.

6 IPO students were selected from 300 applicants for the "Future Leaders in Finance" 2017 Summer Internship Program organized by the Y Society. The Kick-Off Ceremony was held successfully at the China Construction Bank at Central on 5th June 2017.