The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology officially signed agreements today with the Guangzhou Municipal Government and Guangzhou University to establish Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST (GZ)), marking an important milestone in the University’s advancement. HKUST (GZ) will help steer frontier development of HKUST in education, science and technology, business and management as well as knowledge transfer, adding forces to Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) which are gaining traction in innovation.
Located in Qingsheng, Nansha in Guangzhou, HKUST (GZ) is part of a modern high-end service area there, situating next to a high speed rail station and occupying an area of 1.13 square kilometers. The collaboration agreements were signed by Mr. WEN Guohui, Mayor of the Guangzhou Government; Prof. Wei SHYY, President of HKUST; and Prof. WEI Minghai, President of Guangzhou University under the witness of Mr. ZHANG Shuofu, Secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee; Mr. Andrew LIAO Cheung-Sing, Chairman of the HKUST Council; Mr. HUANG Ningsheng, Vice Governor of Guangdong Provincial Government; Prof. LI Lu, Director-General for Educational Scientific and Technological Affairs from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in HKSAR; Mr. HUANG Guang, Inspector of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Exchange Division of State Council; Mr. LI Hai, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of the Ministry of Education; Dr. CHOI Yuk Lin, Under Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government and Prof. QU Shaobing, Chairman of Guangzhou University Council.
Under the agreement, the Guangzhou Government agrees to fund the project’s entire construction cost, and subsidize the new campus’ future basic annual operating budget taking reference of the Hong Kong University Grants Committee framework. Meanwhile, HKUST will introduce its management model, teaching and research culture into the new campus to ensure it maintains the same quality and standard as its Hong Kong counterpart. HKUST will also ensure that the new campus’ facilities, design and planning comply with international standards.
HKUST Council Chairman Mr. Andrew Liao expressed heartfelt gratitude to the staunch support of both Guangzhou and HKSAR governments. “Talent is key to GBA’s development into a global innovation hub. As an international research university, HKUST hopes to bring its vision and teaching experience into Guangzhou and work with HKUST’s Fok Ying Tung Research Institute in Nansha and Shenzhen Research Institute to groom innovative talents with global vision for the region. We also hope that this collaboration could help enhance knowledge transfer in Hong Kong and address the city’s shortfall in the high-tech manufacturing sector, connect technology with business and create new driving force for Hong Kong’s economy,” he said.
HKUST President Prof. Wei Shyy said, “All three parties who signed the agreement today share the same passion in turning HKUST (GZ) into a leading research university, progress against the foundation of a sophisticated global institution and enjoy academic freedom in accordance with the law. HKUST (GZ) will maintain the same quality and standard as HKUST, the two campuses will be fully synergistic without overlapping academic structures. With the new campus located next to the newly planned high-tech park in Guangzhou, HKUST students could better transfer their research achievements and innovative ideas through the established industrial chain there. Students from both campuses can also share each other’s laboratories and research facilities. The exchange will be beneficial to the science and technology development in both Hong Kong and the region.”
According to the agreement, the new campus will adopt English as its basic language. Only postgraduate students will be admitted in the initial phase, with admission size eventually growing up to 4,000. The Senate of HKUST will be responsible for setting teaching principles and curriculums of HKUST (GZ), ensuring that the quality and policy are the same as those developed and treasured since HKUST’s founding. The curriculum will take into account of international trends and the needs of GBA, with emphases on interdisciplinary subjects.
The parties have started preparatory work on areas such as academic planning, institutional structure and campus design and development. HKUST will work closely with Guangzhou University to launch application in a timely manner and obtain necessary licenses from various mainland authorities.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2018. Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2018.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel: 2358 6313
Email: anitalam@ust.hk
Sam Li
Tel: 2358 6317
Email: liyongning@ust.hk
