The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) held an opening ceremony today for the Cheng Yu Tung Building, marking a milestone in the University’s development and its future education and research.
The generous donation from Cheng Yu Tung Foundation has helped the University to complete the funding for the new research and academic complex with state-of-the-art facilities. In honor of this generosity, the University has named the new complex Cheng Yu Tung Building. The building will help HKUST to pursue its goal in advancing innovation and excellence, with its first-class facilities on a par with the highest international standards and in line with the world’stop research universities including Oxford, Cambridge and Caltech.
Officiating at the opening ceremony, Dr Henry Cheng Kar-shun, Chairman of New World Development Company Limited and Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited and also Director of Cheng Yu Tung Foundation, said, “The Foundation was set up by my father. Over the past 30 years, the Foundation has actively sponsored education projects and other charity projects in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has remarkable achievements in quality education and innovative research. We witnessed that the Cheng Yu Tung Building was built with the innovative facilities that provide better learning environment for students to grow and set up a platform for the local and overseas research students promoting the ideas of innovation and exploring the new research domain. I wish students treasure the opportunities to learn and pursue grander goals. Hopefully students can make contribution to the society after graduation.”
The Honorable Andrew Liao Cheung-sing, Chairman of HKUST’s Council, thanked Dr Cheng for his support of and belief in the University’s mission to pursuit innovation and social progress. He said the opening of the Cheng Yu Tung Building marked a significant boost to HKUST’s efforts in providing quality education and advancing cutting-edge research, and Dr Cheng’s support for education would bring enormous benefits to Hong Kong.
HKUST President Prof Tony F Chan also expressed gratitude to Dr Cheng for his generosity, adding that the building has special meaning as it was opened on HKUST’s 25th anniversary. With creative minds and can-do spirit, Prof Chan pledged that the HKUST community would make good use of the excellent facilities to foster research excellence and nurture innovative talents who would contribute to the socio-economic development in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Other officiating guests at the ceremony included Mr Peter Cheng Kar-shing,Chairman of Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundationand Director of Cheng Yu Tung Foundation. Also officiating at the ceremony were, from HKUST, Council Vice-Chairman Prof John Chai Yat-chiu, Executive Vice-President and Provost Prof Wei Shyy, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement Dr Eden Woon, Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Joseph Lee and Vice-President for Administration and Business Mr Mark Hodgson.
The eight-storey Cheng Yu Tung Building covers a gross floor area of 10,000 square meters, it houses an extensive range of teaching and research facilities, including the State Key Laboratory on Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies, the Robotics Institute and the WHAT LAB – a laboratory jointly established between HKUST and WeChat on artificial intelligence. The building’s open plan and high flexibility are most conducive to interdisciplinary research, it features a large-scale multi-purpose lecture theater perfect for teaching activities and artistic performances, as well as work stations for research personnel, special equipment and services that are common to all occupants across disciplines.
About Cheng Yu Tung Foundation
Cheng Yu Tung Foundation was set up in 1980 by Dato’ Dr Cheng Yu Tung. Dr Cheng is the founder of New World Group and Honourary Chairman of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Limited. As one of Hong Kong’s leading businessmen, “Giving Back to Society” has always been at the heart of Dr Cheng, he recognizes his responsibility to utilize his personal resources to advance sustainable social development. The mission of the Foundation is to promote the culture of philanthropy and to help the underprivileged to fulfill their potentials and serve one another. Dr Cheng firmly believes that education and health are important assets for stable social development. Besides setting up Cheng Yu Tung Foundation, Dr Cheng and the Cheng family set up other family foundation or corporate foundation to have donated 2.2 billion HK dollars in support of hundreds of charity projects in Hong Kong and mainland China, covering education, medicine, cultural and other charity projects.
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 excelling in science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. Internationally renowned for its academic rigor and accomplishments, the University promotes interdisciplinary studies and provides holistic education, nurturing well-rounded graduates with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, innovative thinking and relevant skills to thrive in a knowledge economy. As an international university with strong ties to global thought leaders, HKUST has wide-ranging connections with Mainland China while aspiring to be a global premier knowledge hub and a center of research breakthroughs. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, it was also ranked 14th worldwide and top in Greater China in a global survey on employability of graduates in 2015. HKUST was ranked No 1 in Hong Kong and 28th worldwide in QS World University Rankings 2015-16, the Times Higher Education also branded it as one of the seven fastest-rising young universities worldwide in 2015.
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