PolyU Junior Researcher Mentoring Programme 2025 nurtures next generation of innovative research talent

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to fostering the holistic development of young people, providing diverse and enriching learning opportunities to nurture innovative research talent with a global perspective. PolyU held the fifth “Junior Researcher Mentoring Programme” (JRMP), attracting 147 high school students from 97 local and international schools. Under the guidance of around 70 PolyU academics from various faculties, schools and departments, the students participated in a series of impactful research projects.

This year’s programme yielded 31 research projects covering diverse fields, including nursing, land surveying and geo-informatics, social sciences, biomedicine, design, fashion and textiles, hotel and tourism, and engineering. Over a four-month period, students conducted individual or group research under the guidance of PolyU academics, engaging in research design, data collection, literature review and results reporting. This deepened their understanding of the research projects and enhanced their research skills. Students also had the opportunity to visit related laboratories and teaching and research facilities, gaining a deeper understanding of PolyU’s diverse undergraduate programmes, and thereby helping them prepare for their future studies and programme selection.

Prof. Geoffrey SHEN, PolyU Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships) and Director of Global Engagement, said, “PolyU is committed to leveraging our top-notch academics to support the development of young research talents in Hong Kong. The JRMP enables secondary school students to engage in the research process with support from some of our leading academic colleagues. Some of the participants have the opportunity to present their research findings at international conferences, showcasing the quality and potential of their research. I hope the Programme has ignited a passion for research in these students and I look forward to welcoming them to PolyU, as our students or as future researchers and to them contributing to driving impactful innovations for our future.”

Under the guidance of academics from the PolyU School of Nursing, a team of eight students from Shatin Pui Ying College, Immaculate Heart of Mary College, Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong, ESF Sha Tin College, The Independent Schools Foundation Academy, Hong Kong University Graduate Association College, Valtorta College and Kit Sam Lam Bing Yim Secondary School conducted research on “Youth mental health and resilience.” They completed the “Mission ReST” resilience-building programme offered by the PolyU ReST Hub, gaining an understanding of how to build resilience. The team designed an innovative solution beyond the existing framework by combining environmental adaptation and gamification elements, creating a relaxed environment and interactive experiences to help young people enhance their resilience. They said, “Through the Programme, we learnt about conducting both quantitative and qualitative research, taking part in questionnaire design, and data collection and analysis. Participating in the research process not only enhanced our practical research skills, but also deepened our understanding of mental health and the importance of building resilience.”

Two students from Hong Kong International School and Shung Tak Catholic English College conducted the research project “Deriving long-time series vegetation phenology using artificial intelligence in the Boston area” under the guidance of academics from the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics. The students developed a deep learning model, enabling the effective reconstruction of seasonal trajectories of vegetation dynamics and the detection of phenological trends on a regional scale. They stated, “Participating in JRMP was a rewarding and eye-opening experience. With careful mentorship, we learnt about vegetation phenology and honed our skills in satellite data processing and coding, which has motivated us to continue pursuing research in the future.”

PolyU launched the JRMP in 2021 to encourage secondary school students to explore a broad range of research fields and interdisciplinary knowledge, fostering their interest in research and nurturing the next generation of local innovation and technology talent in support of Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology centre and international hub for post-secondary education. To-date, nearly 700 secondary school students from 125 local and international schools have participated in the Programme, completing 175 research projects. Moving forward, JRMP will invite more schools and students to participate in this enriching learning experience. Applications will open early next year for the 2026 Programme, which is scheduled to run from April to August.

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