Seven HKUST Projects Secure Funding in RAISe+ Second Round

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has shone in the second round of Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme launched by Innovation and Technology Commission’s (ITC), securing grants for seven teams – the highest number among local institutions. 

The seven funded projects encompass a diverse array of innovative research and development efforts. Three projects focus on health and medical innovation, addressing areas spanning diagnostics, medical treatment and gene therapy.  Three others focus on AI chips, semiconductors and their materials, while the remaining one explores novel displays and optoelectronic technology.

Prof. Tim CHENG, HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development, said, “We are delighted to see the numerous new measures implemented by the Hong Kong government over the past few years to cultivate the city’s research, innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystem, with RAISe+ being a key initiative.  Our record-breaking results in this round of RAISe+ not only highlight our faculty’s outstanding achievements in research and innovation, but also reflect the University’s efforts to create an environment conducive to the incubation of startups and knowledge transfer. Moving forward, we will continue to work closely with the government and our research and industrial partners to translate more research outputs into impactful solutions for society.”

Project 1: 3.3 kV High Power GaN Devices on 8 Inch Novel Substrates 

Principal Investigator: Prof. Kei-May LAU, Research Professor of Division of Emerging Interdisciplinary Areas & Professor Emeritus of Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST
Project Leader: Dr. LIANG Hu, PhD in Electronic and Computer Engineering, Co-founder of Ainfinity

Project Details: By 2030, up to 80% of global electric power will rely on power electronics, making energy efficiency crucial. Prof. Kei-May LAU and her research team identified a novel aluminum nitride (AlN)-based substrate that allows gallium nitride (GaN) devices to operate at high voltages (2.4kV and 3.3kV) with superior thermal stability. This advancement enables the growth of high-quality GaN and AlN layers on 8-inch wafers, with potential scalability to 12 inches, at a competitive cost of approximately HK$1,000 per wafer. Companies like Zhiming Microelectronics and HiWAFER have shown strong interest, and the team plans to fabricate these devices for market deployment using RAISe+ funding.

Project 2: Developing tissue / cell specific AAV capsids by AI-and data-driven approaches

Principal Investigator: Prof. Bonnie ZHU, Assistant Professor of Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST
Project Leader: Prof. Bonnie ZHU

Project details: At present, more than 500 million people worldwide are affected by genetic disorders, with gene therapy being their only cure. However, FDA-approved therapies using natural types of AAV capsids have significant limitations, such as poor assembly efficiency and low specificity. Led by Prof. Bonnie ZHU, a research team has developed a large foundation model combined with high-throughput screenings to address these delivery challenges. By analyzing viral protein sequences and using advanced self-supervised learning, the team designs artificial AAV sequences that outperform natural variants. This innovation enhances specificity in targeting different cell types, reduces side effects, accelerates screening and validation iteration. The team will validate its findings through animal studies and collaborate with pharmaceutical partners to advance treatments for neurological disorders, such as Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases.

Project 3: Development of a Highly Efficacious First-in-Class Vaginal Gel Targeting DRIPs for Cervical Cancer and Precancerous Lesions 

Principal Investigator: Prof. LIANG Chun, Division of Life Science at HKUST
Project Leader: Prof. LIANG Chun

Project Details: Current treatments for cervical precancerous lesions rely heavily on invasive surgeries, which pose risks of premature birth, miscarriage, and high recurrence rates, particularly exacerbating healthcare disparities in developing countries. To address this issue, Prof. LIANG Chun and his team have developed a first-in-class vaginal gel that targets DNA replication-initiation proteins (DRIPs). This innovative therapy selectively induces apoptosis in abnormal cells while preserving healthy tissue, providing a safe, effective, and non-invasive alternative to surgery. Preclinical studies show 96% tumor growth inhibition and nearly 100% eradication of cervical cancer and precancerous cells. The team holds 17 patents for this technology and aims for its launch by 2031.

Project 4: High Energy-Efficient Edge Chip & System for Large AI Models

Principal Investigator: Prof. TSUI Chi-Ying, Associate Director of AI Chip Center for Emerging Smart Systems (ACCESS) & Professor of Division of Integrative Systems and Design at HKUST
Project Leader: Mr. WANG Huaibin, Vice President of HarbourTek Limited

Project Details: A research team led by Prof. TSUI Chi-Ying will develop a high energy-efficient edge chip and system to accelerate AI computing for embodied AI, addressing issues of low energy-efficiency and high cost in current GPU devices. Their innovative approach combines software-hardware co-design, AI model compression techniques, and digital in-memory computing technology, improving edge AI performance with real-time processing and sustainable power efficiency. This advancement supports flexible systems for diverse embodied AI applications and has been recognized in leading conferences. The team aims to create low-cost, scalable intelligent hardware systems to advance embodied AI in industrial and domestic settings, offering significant societal benefits.

Project 5: Materials for next generation displays and optoelectronic devices

Principal Investigator: Prof. KWOK Hoi-Sing, Executive Director of State Key Laboratory of Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies & Visiting Professor of Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST
Project Leader: Dr. SUN Zhibo, Research Associate of Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST

Project Details: A research team led by Prof. KWOK Hoi-Sing is developing revolutionary display technologies using ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) materials, which offer microsecond-level response speeds and enhanced brightness. This advancement addresses issues like slow response times and motion blur in current displays, improving energy efficiency and image clarity. FLC technology enables ultra-high-resolution displays with three times the light efficiency of traditional LCDs and significantly faster response speeds in applications like LiDAR and optical communications, enhancing safety and performance. Major companies, including Hisense and Meta, have shown interest, and the team is preparing for mass production of their FLC innovations.

Project 6: Multi-centers clinical development of blood biomarker panels for detection of prodromal, mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer’s disease

Principal Investigator: Dr. JIANG Yuanbing, Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Life Science, HKUST
Project Leader: Dr. OUYANG Li, Managing Director, Cognitact

Project Details: Amid a global aging crisis, Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects over 55 million people, with projections of 139 million by 2050. Building on pioneering research by Prof. Nancy Ip at HKUST, Dr. JIANG Yuanbing and the team have developed the world’s first multi-protein blood test for AD. This innovative tool was further developed into two pipelines at Cognitact: PlasmarkAD® Pro Series, offering 96% accuracy in identifying AD-related amyloid pathology and distinct AD-related biological processes; and the cost-effective PlasmarkAD® Lite for timely risk evaluation and screening, particularly in underserved communities. These advancements reduce testing costs by up to 80% compared to traditional PET scans. Supported by the RAISe+ Scheme, Cognitact is launching global trials to validate this transformative diagnostic solutions, and eventually benefit the ageing society at large.

Project 7: Next-Gen High-End Eco-Semiconductor Chiplets for Empowering Tomorrow's Data Centers and 6G Networks

Principal Investigator: Prof. Patrick YUE, Professor of Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering & Associate Director of Institute of Integrated Circuits and Systems (IICS) at HKUST
Project Leader: Prof. Patrick YUE

Project Details: The rise of next-generation data centers and 6G networks necessitates semiconductors with high-speed, power efficiency, and reliability. Prof. Patrick YUE and his team have created Hi5Semi - a company with groundbreaking semiconductor chips that combine silicon CMOS and GaN chiplets for advanced communication systems. This innovation integrates CMOS and GaN circuits with passive components on an interposer substrate, forming a heterogeneous integrated system-in-package (HISiP) that enhances data processing and transmission speed, power efficiency, and signal quality. Initially targeting the optical communication market for data centers, Hi5Semi aims to support 6G networks in the future, facilitating long-distance communication for applications like low-orbit satellite systems.

Launched in October 2023, RAISe+ aims to unlock the potential of local universities in the transformation and commercialization of research and development (R&D) outcomes. It facilitates collaboration among the government, industries, universities, and research sectors. The scheme provides funding to research teams from universities with strong potential to become successful start-ups, supporting the transformation and commercialization of their R&D outcomes on a matching basis.  Funding support from HK$10 million to HK$100 million will be provided to each approved project.

For more project details, please refer to the annex.