News & Stories

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have uncovered how mutations in a specific gene can trigger a rare respiratory disease, shedding light on the critical role played by cellular structures known as cilia. Cilia are tiny and hair-like organelles extruding from the surface of most cell types, serving either sensory or motile functions. In the eyes, photoreceptor cells possess sensory cilia that are important for vision. Meanwhile, motile cilia align along the surface of the respiratory tract and function in airway clearance of mucus and inhaled pathogens.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)'s Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute (CKSRI) today announced the establishment of its Industrial Alliance, alongside the inaugural CKSRI Industrial Summit. The initiative brings together leaders from academia and industry to strengthen connections between HKUST research teams and a broad network of industry partners, fostering collaboration in research development, technology translation, and talent development. Through the Alliance, CKSRI aims to establish a practical, sustainable collaboration platform that supports the deployment of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across diverse application scenarios.

In recent years, Hong Kong has experienced repeated episodes of intense rainfall that left significant impacts on social operations, including the “once‑in‑a‑century” rainstorm in September 2023, the exceptionally heavy rain in May 2024, and a series of Black Rainstorm events in early August 2025. These extreme weather events have not only disrupted residents’ daily travel and public infrastructure but have also highlighted the challenges faced by high‑density coastal cities in coping with extreme weather.

A research team from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), together with an HKUST-incubated medtech startup, PhoMedics Limited, has developed Glanzir®, the world's first artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled, slide-free pathology imaging system. The system enables direct imaging of fresh tissue without the need for conventional procedures such as freezing, sectioning, and staining, producing histological images in approximately three minutes in an operating room setting for intraoperative assessment.

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have achieved two major breakthroughs in interfacial polymerization, a key technique for preparing advanced functional materials. By integrating quantum mechanics with machine learning, the team has elucidated the mechanism by which water molecules facilitate reactions at the molecular level. At the same time, they have transformed microcapsule design from a traditional trial-and-error approach into a predictive science.

One small machine for HKUST, one giant leap for greenhouse gas tracking.When the Tianzhou-10 robotic cargo spacecraft docked with China’s Tiangong Space Station on May 11, it successfully delivered the world’s first lightweight, high-resolution, high-precision synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emission point sources. This scientific breakthrough was steered by researchers from the School of Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).The groundbreaking instrument, called the Multi-Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory, or MUSICO for short, made history as Hong Kong’s first scientific payload on the national space station.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Suzhou Calmcar Electronics Technology Co., Limited (CalmCar) officially signed a strategic agreement to jointly establish the Physical AI Innovation Center (the Center). The Center is dedicated to advancing full-stack physical AI technologies, addressing fundamental bottlenecks in current AI, including an insufficient understanding of the laws of the physical world, limited reasoning capabilities, and a lack of reliable support for action and decision-making.The Center will build a new-generation physical AI technology foundation capable of understanding, predicting, reasoning, and decision-making, supporting strategic industries such as autonomous driving, robotics, and smart manufacturing, while helping position Hong Kong as a key strategic hub for national physical AI innovation.

Co-hosted by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and China International Capital Corporation (CICC), the 2026 Hong Kong Innovation Forum concluded successfully yesterday. Centered on "Building a Global Innovation Ecosystem," the Forum explored the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation and technology (I&T) industries. It brought together prominent experts from Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland to engage in comprehensive discussions on the global innovation landscape, Hong Kong's development as an international I&T hub, the integration and synergy between industry and financial capital in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), technology ethics, and smart society governance. The event attracted approximately 400 participants from government departments, academia, industry, and investment community.